As my time at Boston College goes by, I start to notice this one theme more and more: BC just keeps getting better as time goes by. And here’s why:
Freshman Year:
Okay, I’ll admit freshman year is actually really hard. But it’s also really incredible. It’s the first time since you turned 18 that you actually start feeling like an adult. There’s no one to tell you what to eat or when to study. You can go out when you want and you basically don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself. You are your own person and it’s awesome. It’s this amazing new feeling of independence that you’ve never felt before.
It’s also so different from high school in some ways but in other ways it’s the same. College is just like high school in the sense that you have to go to class (unless you have a lecture, but you still should go) and study. But then again it’s so different because your professors treat you like adults. And that’s a lot of responsibility. There are no magical notes from your parents that can get you extensions on assignments. It’s all you. And socially speaking, it’s much less cliquey. Yes, there are friend groups but people are always open to meeting new people. As freshmen, everyone is new so everyone is open to new friendships.
Sophomore Year:
I always tell my friends sophomore year is the epitome of BC. And I say that because you have already established your true friends and hopefully learned that you don’t have to be friends with anyone you don’t like. Which is pretty awesome. And with thousands of students here on campus, I’m sure you will find your soul mates: friend version. There is also no looming fear of graduation or need for an internship. You’re living on campus with all of your friends, but actually, you’re friends are literally all your neighbors. I don’t remember being bored once last year. And it gets better because for the first time ever, you might actually know whose Mod party you’re going to, YAY!
Sophomore year is really the year you get to know yourself. As I said before, nothing is distracting you (being new, graduating, getting a job, etc.). So you get an entire year to figure out who you are and who you want to be. Meanwhile, you get to enjoy all of the amazing aspects of BC. You can go on a retreat like Halftime or Kairos. Or you can deck yourself out in your Superfan gear and go to a hockey game with all of your friends. There’s the ALC Boat Cruise and Modstock. Best of all, you know what’s happening on campus.
Junior Year:
You’ve finally made it halfway through! And for most of the juniors that means going abroad and moving off-campus. When you’re off-campus you can host friends for dinner, turning what could be a mundane Tuesday evening into a really exciting one. And if you aren’t the one living off-campus, you probably have plenty of friends living off-campus. Or you could be going abroad! Yes, that means you might be separated from some of your friends, but that only gives you the opportunity to make some new friends.
In terms of classes, am I the only one who gets excited when the classes I want to take are actually available? For the first time since I got here, I actually want to be in most of my classes. As a junior, your major is already declared. You know what you have to do and want to take, all that’s left to do is do it! Things are moving along and life is great.
Senior Year:
I may not be able to speak from personal experience because I’m not there yet but senior year looks like one of the best years ever. Why you ask? Well at this point you and most of your friends are probably all 21. And you’ve been waiting for this precise moment since you got here. And what can you do when you’re 21 besides drink? Well you can actually tailgate at the Mods, go to any and all of the bars you please, and so much more. Nothing is holding you back, the only thing you can’t do at this point is rent a car (without paying a young driver fee).
But enough about being 21, you’re a senior. There’s so much to look forward to in terms of your future and there’s just so much to celebrate about being where you are. You’re in the moment! And there’s nothing better than celebrating with all of the close friends you’ve made at BC.
And that’s why every year that goes by here at BC, I get more and more excited. I look forward to everything that’s to come. But at the same time, I’m never going to forget the incredible memories of my first two years at Boston College.
Photo Sources:
http://www.bc.edu/publications/chronicle/FeaturesNewsTopstories/2011/features/gasson090811.html
http://bcgavel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/modstock.jpg
http://0.tqn.com/d/collegeapps/1/0/9/V/-/-/boston-college-mods.jpg