(Another) Goodbye to Freshman Year
Hello again! I hope that everyone has had or is having an amazing end of their spring semester or school year, beginning of their summer, etc! I have officially finished my freshman year of college, which is crazy! I packed up and said goodbye to freshman dorm, roommate, dining halls...some parts of which were much more bittersweet than others.
I'll miss a lot of things about being a college freshman, of course. It's like being any kind of freshman. People look out for you and want to help you succeed. There are those who look down on you for being the babies, obviously; but there are still more people who consider you adorable and take you under their wings for the same reason. And then there are all of the other perks, like "free" food and coffee, like everyday. I forgot that Starbucks was a business and that normal people pay for it for awhile. And I'm not sure what not going to grab freebies from tabling events as often will be like. (Just kidding I'll probably still nab stuff who are we kidding.)
I'll also miss living right in the center of campus. I was definitely spoiled with the prime location of my dorm (Hopkins). I could just climb the hill to get to class or go get food. I could walk anywhere in about five to ten minutes, honestly. I'll also miss the fact that most of my friends and I all lived in the same two blocks, and that to "go out" we literally just walked downstairs.Â
Iâll miss my Jane Austen class and being able to read my favorite novels for homework, which still seems like a dream. Iâll also miss the time between that class and my LMC seminar class, where I sat outside with friends and listened to whatever clubs or groups were tabling on the walkway while we ate lunch and did homework.
There are of course things that I won't miss, too (the shared bathroom situation, the inevitably messy tiny shoebox where we slept, etc.). But more importantly, though, there are even more things that I am looking forward to about when everyone is back on campus in the fall.
I'll get to see my friends, go to more Arts Ambassador meetings, and take new classes. I have a job and a project lined up and ready to go, and I'm so completely excited about both. I may join a sorority, and though rush terrifies me, the idea of having a house and another group of friendly faces on campus would be so sweet and invaluable. I'm going to live in a North Ave. apartment with my friends, and though it is a little farther away from campus, we can still walk everywhere. We have our own rooms, share two bathrooms, and there's a KITCHEN! I'm going to learn how to cook in between reading for my Medieval Lit class and studying Personality Theory. I'll also get to decorate four walls instead of just one, and itâs going to be beautiful.
I even can't wait to help the next round of freshmen. I have learned so much over the past year, the past three semesters, that I am more than happy and willing to share anything that I know and have learned with someone who needs it. I've already given some tips out to people who I can't wait to take under the now experienced non-freshman wing of my own.
I'll miss that being me, but I know that my own wings have not gone away. I still have my older friends, past professors, and the resources that I had and needed as a freshman. I don't, by any means, know everything; I know I'll still need help along the way too. But I have built my own little community here, and for that I am so very grateful. That's what being a freshman, or just being young, I think, is at least partially about. It grows as you do, and it never goes away.
So for you incoming freshman, reach out and get to know others. Join clubs, do things that you're interested in, try new things. Some things you try may suck, but guess what: you can quit them, or try again later. Take advantage of your benefits (like free coffee, I'm bitter can you tell) and don't forget about them. Be grateful and kind and optimistic. Do your best, but take care of yourselves and give yourself a break, too. The fall is just right around the corner.
Until then, LOL JK IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS GONE CHECK, OUT MY NEXT BLOG POST XOXO GOSSIP GIRL
Jk again, ~Lauren
