As this year comes to an end it has become clearer and clearer to me what I will miss about Georgetown, and what I will not (bear with me). College so far has been an experience, to say the least. It has opened up doors to new possibilities, exposed me to new people and ideas, controversies, and taught me the struggles of independence and living away from home.
Although it has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions, successes and failures, I would not trade it for anything. What I have learned is most important is that for every negative aspect of college life, specifically at Georgetown, there is always something to gain or something to make up for it.
To begin, I will most definitely not miss the exhausting trek up the VCW stairs after a semi-mediocre meal at Leo's. I won't miss the hours spent studying in the prison-like setting of Lau, attempting to read under dim lights, or the symptoms of sleep deprivation. I won't miss waking up at 8:30 in the morning, and I certainly won't miss having under ten minutes in between classes to speed walk to Walsh or Saint Mary's. Nor will I miss walking up the hill to Yates, which is already a workout in itself.
However, it is all of these things which make Georgetown...well, Georgetown. These are all things that, in reality, aren't so bad when looking at them relatively. The trek up the Lau stairs, though exhausting, is a way to bond with people over your general disdain for non-consenting physical activity, as well as a means for conversation.
Even though Lau is uncannily similar to the confines of a prison, it's also where I've made friends, met new people, had some great conversations, and learned even more about the merits of hard work (and the second floor is pretty great, especially if you don't have a ton of work).
And even though waking up early is probably the thing I dread most about classes - if you know me this should come as no surprise - it wasn't for nothing, and I probably learned more about life, different cultures, and languages in these morning classes than I did throughout all of high school.
Furthermore, the walk to Yates isn't so bad when you go with a friend or two. Plus, the view at the top overlooking the field and the center of campus is pretty much worth the hike.
Just like the view from the top of Yates gives you a new perspective of campus, Georgetown has provided me with a number of new perspectives that can't be measured by the aforementioned, particularly trivial downfalls. In reality, these things weren't a measure of my quality here, and in the long run were more beneficial to me than detrimental. In the end, although I look forward to home-cooked meals and sleeping in on a Monday, I wouldn't trade my first year at Georgetown for anything.
