The feelings of being a senior at Texas A&M University are so strange. For most people’s college experience, time has felt so slow, like they are just taking each semester week by week, trying to get another break, another football game, or a night out with friends. But in senior year, people will move differently because suddenly everything is happening for the last time.
It all began with small realizations, the first last day of school is approaching sooner than ever expected. Walking across campus, sitting in the usual classrooms, or grabbing coffee before class feels so much more special than before. These routines that have been done for so long are carrying much more meaning. Seniors realize that every moment today will soon be a memory.
Along with realizations come a flood of mixed emotions. Many are excited, of course, because graduating from such a respected university is such an accomplishment. But the idea of starting a career or moving to a new city is such a scary feeling. The excitement of graduating is also paired with much uncertainty, but this is the same uncertainty when coming to college, and everything has turned out so well. Now raising questions about what’s next? Are worries going to be shifted from due dates and going out outfits to jobs and finances? There is so much pressure trying to figure everything out, when many do not even know what direction to take. The fear of the unknown is so accurate when moving into the final year of college.
Friendships throughout college years have gained so much more importance as these are the people that have shared routines with such as class and side quests. As graduation approaches, everyone will go their separate ways, and some of us may never live in the same city ever again. The person who came to the New Student Conference is not the same person who will be walking across the stage at graduation. College changes people in ways that may have never been expected. By the time graduation approaches, many see what they have learned is way beyond education; it is about connections, experiences, and fun.
In the end, senior year is bittersweet. The time approaching is filled with excitement but also nostalgia. There is also such a strong sense of pride reaching the point of graduation. Finishing college is not an easy accomplishment, so senior year represents all the years of hard work and drive. Although it will be extremely difficult to leave the best place in the world, there is also a sense of readiness for the next part of life. No matter where life leads after graduation, Texas A&M will always be with you.