In May of 2014, I finally came to a decision and chose a school. Merrimack College: the place that would become my home for the next four years, in the small town of North Andover, Massachusetts.

Now that I am going into my senior year, our “little” school is hardly recognizable from that fall of 2014. So much has been remodeled in such a short amount of time, and if you told 18 year old me about all of these changes, I would have laughed and said it wasn’t possible. Almost three years later, the changes that have been made to Merrimack are truly unbelievable.

So, when I was a freshman way back in 2014, this is how Merrimack College was:

• There was no stadium.
• The turf was old but got the job done.

• There was no new business building, instead it was just a bunch of grass that also served as a parking lot during homecoming.

• When it comes to parking spots, we have seen so many changes. The price has gone up, the spaces have lessened, and it was difficult to have a car on campus. Now, coming this fall, for the first time the prices will be lower, the spaces will be more, and it sounds like an easier ordeal.

• East Mills was unheard of.
• “North Campus” wasn’t a thing, and South Campus was called “New Res” (it still kind of is).

• Augie’s was actually a pub, not just Sparky’s with the lights off.

• Sparky's was completely different, and far too small for the people in it.
• And there was no pizza bar.

• Mendel didn’t look as sleek on the inside.
• We were the biggest class of freshman ever.
• The 47 was brandy new to us.

• There were no clown scares.

• The Honors Lounge was crammed into a very tiny room in Sullivan.
• The Unity House didn’t exist.

• All of the vans were very old.
• We didn’t have to do community service for Christianity in Context.
• WE WERE NOT GIVEN IPADS, apparently we lived in the stone age (3 years ago).

• Returning your dishes in Sparky’s was a whole different situation, just a small little conveyor belt that got backed up all the time and wasn’t the most pleasant thing to see.
• Our logo was a Warrior, not a shield.

• Mindful Mack didn’t exist.
• The Warrior Den was not this nice, it has been undergoing a facelift.

• The beach volleyball court was not a thing.
• The Sanctuary Cafe didn’t even have a building yet.
• Merrimack Idol was in its first year.

And...

• Crossing Route 114 was a game of Frogger, as there was no stoplight and crosswalk.

Merrimack College certainly has changed a lot since freshman year, and I can't wait to see what it turns into in the future. Merrimack will always be a second home, and I'll always be a Warrior.