This time of year can be quite trying for the typical college student. Due dates for end of the semester projects and essays are rapidly approaching, final exams are just around the corner and course evaluations need to be filled out and submitted. Oh, and don't forget about having to pack up everything in the room since it's nearly time to move back home.
Despite all the stress that the work I need to accomplish is causing me, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I'm almost done with my freshman year of college. A little over a year ago, I decided that I wanted to attend Seton Hill University, and here I am today, almost one year of college under my belt. How in the world did this happen?
More often than not lately, I feels like time is passing by too quickly. It's already been about eight and a half months since I first moved into my dorm room and began my first semester at college, and in a little more than a week, I'll be moving out and completing my first year.
Although I am immensely upset that this school year is coming to a close, I have had some of the best times of my life this semester. Some of my favorite events were going to the Halloween dance, Christmas on the Hill, the Gaelic Football Tournament, Build-a-Bear in the parlors and the spring Sinfonia concert. But even the small things, like getting hot chocolate at The White Rabbit, spending Friday nights with friends watching Harry Potter, and making music with an extremely talented guitar player, are moments that I am going to sincerely miss.
Of course, those events were only as fun as they were because of the wonderful people that were there with me during them. I know that I've made some forever friends this semester. Luckily, I get to live with some of them next semester, but sadly, others that I've gotten really close to won't be here next semester, and I don't know the next time I'll see them.
People always told me that I was going to come home from college a changed person. I guess they were right in a sense. It's not to say that I'm a completely different person, but there are aspects of me that are different compared to eight and a half months ago. Despite my typical college rebellious act, getting my tragus pierced, I can say that my time at college has made me a more sophisticated and mature person. Living by myself has taught me how to be more independent, as I don't have my parents to remind me what I need to do, whether it be studying or cleaning. My fellow peers that I have interacted with have helped me to develop and further my own opinions about current world issues. The various friends I've made along the way have introduced me to music, books, movies and ideas that before college I had never known about. The professors whose classes I have taken or am taking have provided me with knowledge and wisdom that can assist me in my future.
It's hard to believe that eight and a half months can do so much good for a person, as a year of college has made me be a much better version of myself. That being said, I cannot wait to see what the rest of college will do for me. But for now, I'll continue stressing over finals and moving back home, wondering why time flies by so quickly.
