It is astonishing to realize that freshman year of college was nearly two years ago. I remember walking into The Sem as a freshman with no friends, no major and honestly no direction. It is now my last semester before my senior year of college and things have changed for the better. I always wonder if my classmates and friends feel the same way about college as I do.
I constantly catch myself looking back at how I felt the first few weeks of freshman year: lonely, scared and unaware. I would go into random rooms and essentially put myself out there to others and that is how I met some of my greatest friends who I still hold dear today. Freshman year seemed so stressful at the time -- trying to make friends while adjusting to a new environment -- but it was a learning process and I would not change a thing. It taught me so much about myself, specifically that being me is most important.
Once you become a sophomore, you realize how much fun you had freshman year. You were taking required courses which are significantly easier than your major courses. You were going to a bunch of different places on campus because everything was so new to you. As a sophomore, my roommate and I screwed up our housing and got stuck with a group of guys who would end up becoming our best friends. The first few days were awkward because we did not know each other too well, but it is funny how friendships work out in the end. Sophomore year is great because you are fully adjusted to the college lifestyle and know how to handle most situations that are thrown your way.
As a junior, you realize that things are beginning to change. People are getting more specific with what they want to do after college. Some people study abroad and friend groups get tentatively split up. As a second semester junior who is abroad, I feel this change starting to occur. Part of me looks forward to what senior year brings, but after graduation, who knows? It is hard to think about leaving the life you have created at college because it feels like it just begun.
We have to make senior year the best year because sadly, it is the end. Then, we will be adults in the real world with actual jobs that matter. We won't have time to party every weekend or see all of our friends. I know people say college is all about education but the experience is what matters. In 30 years when I look back, I probably will not remember most of what I learned, but I will remember good times with good friends.
