It seems like just yesterday I was walking around Presidential Courtyard at 6:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. Meeting my newfound best friends at PCB Cafeteria to talk about our horrible date party the night before (that somehow turned into shacking in Reese Hall while stuffing our faces with the cheesy breakfast potatoes). From fitting 40 people in a dorm room for a pre-game to eating Subway or IHOP for every single meal, I loved it all. Getting all dressed up in a tight skirt and wedges only to walk two miles to the Hill or a mile to Fraternity Row... "This is college," I thought to myself.
Then sophomore year rolled around, and I don't know about you, but I would say the Sophomore 16 does a lot more damage than the Freshman 15. "This is college," I thought.
Friendships got real junior year. We knew more about each other than most friends from high school, who we'd known for years, knew about us. After all, we had witnessed so many of each other's firsts and lasts. This year you have to (sort of) start buckling down and realizing that there is a world that follows college, although you tend to only think about that when you're forced to. Most everyone turns 21 this year, so it's a year full of house birthday parties, including the traditional themed birthday sign and plenty of keg stands. It's also a year of relationships. You may not even want one, but you sure as hell will find yourself in something. You're an upperclassmen now, so you have two years below who look up to you. It's a blessing and a curse. You often go out on weeknights because your internship is only a few hours and you don't have any 8 a.m.'s this semester. Having your first real heartbreak, but getting through it and being okay because of your best friends..."This is college," I thought.
Before you can blink an eye, it's senior year. A year of last times and final memories you know you'll never forget. It's easy to let it slip away because of all the other things needing your attention—capstone classes, internships and job applications, housing plans for next year, the list never ends. But remember to sparingly take those few nights when your friends all mention going to Wine Wednesday to actually go. And don't just go for 30 minutes. Stay until they turn the lights on and kick you out. Promising friends who have become your family that you will never lose touch and will always be friends forever..."This is college."
