If you were in middle school in the early 2000s, chances are that you were a fan of T-Pain. And if you didn’t obsess over hits like “Low” and “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)," then I can’t say I trust you. It was all about the Apple Bottom Jeans and the boots with the fur — the latter of which is still very prevalent around Bing. If you were one of these avid T-Pain listeners though, you probably had a blast on Saturday night when he took the stage at our annual Spring Fling as the opening act for the unbelievably energetic Walk the Moon.
Originally, I was planning to write about the concert. But, given that most, if not all, of you were there at some point or another, I figured this would be a good time to muse on senior year and the end of my time here at Binghamton.
It’s been one hell of a ride. With hills, dips, twists and turns.
The thing about college is that most of us look at it like a do-over for high school or middle school, whichever four years didn’t quite suit you. But we don’t really get do-overs in life — not in college, not in the real world. We get experiences, both good and…not so good. And they all help us to grow, which is the most valuable thing I’ve gotten out of college.
If it was all smooth sailing, there’d be nowhere to go, nothing to learn — in terms of life experience anyway. Sorry, professors, but there’s only so many “Paradise Lost” references that will prove useful outside of a university setting (All you English majors know what I’m talking about).
College is about the firsts. You become self-sufficient living on your own — as much as one can be on their own with several hundred or thousand other people experiencing the same things. You do your own laundry, pick your own meal times, dictate your own schedules and bedtimes. It’s why so many of us get fewer than six hours of sleep a night. Especially during finals week.
College is about the ups. New friends. Talking till the sun comes up about anything and everything. The satisfaction of acing that exam in the Gen Ed you would’ve given anything to avoid. The adrenaline rush from getting to study abroad, see new countries and meet new people. The joy of knowing you can handle all the burdens that come with these four years — sort of.
College is also about the downs. Some friendships you made may have soured. Debt weighs on you. Dining hall food is barely mediocre — how much chicken can you serve up? I mean really. The unbelievable pressure with deciding how you want your entire life to go when you’re in your oh-so-tender early 20s? It’s rough. A lot of it is.
But there’s also something incredible about it all. Yes, we’re told to pick the course that might determine the rest of our lives before we’re even ready, but we also get to make that choice without any obligations or responsibilities to anyone but ourselves. We’re 22; we’re fortunate enough to be educated and have the freedom to make choices where so many others don’t. So yes, it’s scary and intimidating, but it’s also liberating, because we’re given the opportunity to choose how our lives are going to go.
Me? I like to think I've grown a lot over these past four years. I know I've changed, for sure. I've done things I never thought I would do, never thought I could do. And it's changed my life for the better. Everyone I've met here has taught me something that I'll take with me on my next journey, wherever that may lead me.
And choosing that journey? Well, for that, I’m excited.
