Halfway through. Sophomores, we’re already almost halfway through. If four years of college was a box of a dozen donuts, we would already have eaten all of the 6 glazed ones in the box. If four years of college was a fairytale, we would be at the halfway point where the princess is just about to make a grave decision that will require her prince to rescue her. If four years of college was a mountain, we would be right at the halfway point, able to see the very top peak but also able to turn around and see where we started from. That’s it, right there, the key to it all: looking forward but looking back. With graduation seeming as far away as possible right now (let’s keep it that way), and summer orientation also seeming light-years away, we are at a standstill, Class of 2016, between the beginning and the end.
Before you think I’m getting ahead of myself, consider this: two years down, two to go. What does that truly mean for us? We have had already had two amazing years of new friendships, experiences, classes, and everything else that has come with the incredible experience that is college. But have no fear, because the best part about all of this is that we still have two more. Two more years to make even more memories, even more friends, continue to learn and grow as young adults, and prepare ourselves for whatever it is we want to do after our final walk down Linden Lane at Commencement. The opportunities are endless, but unfortunately our time is not.
These next two years should be filled with all of the things that we missed out on during our first two years. Starting to miss your basketball team from high school? Join a club or intermural team! Heard about a great class but couldn’t get in it spring semester freshman year? Take advantage of your better pick-time and register! Have a crush on the guy who sits two rows in front of you in organic chemistry? Tell him! Our time left here should be filled with amazing memories and lasting impressions that we will carry with us wherever we go, but it must start with us. We must take the initiative to join the team, to take the class, and to talk to the guy, or else we are left with the same repetitious series of events as our first two years. College is for exploring and discovering, not only yourself but also the environment you are in. It starts with you.
We have an entire summer to contemplate what we want to do when we come back in the fall. Although it is frightening to think about, time is flying by and seems to have no intention of slowing down anytime soon. I’ve always disliked the cliché “college is the best four years of your life” quote, but I can’t help but think of how important and relevant it is for us, at this time in our lives. With only four years to take full advantage of everything we have here, what better time is there to make big decisions, work hard, and also have a great time? We are in college to learn, to specialize in a field, to make friends, but ultimately we are here to grow, as individuals but also together.
So before my fellow sophomores go out and panic because they haven’t bought their mortarboards yet for graduation, have no fear. We have time. Plenty of it but not all of it. Half of it to be exact. We have four semesters left to make new memories, new experiences, and to enjoy our second half of “the best four years”. Isn’t it time for us to embrace all that college has to offer us? So what are you waiting for, Class of 2016, there’s still a whole other half of the mountain to climb.
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