I’ll never forget my first day at Bucknell. Countless, overly-excited students clad in orange and blue rushed toward me, grabbed my pounds and pounds of unnecessary Bed, Bath, and Beyond belongings, and showed me to my room. Who would’ve ever guessed that I would soon become one of those sleepless, crazed Orientation Assistants, and then the even more excited and enthused Orientation Leader. While that first 7:30am scene is one that will never leave my memory, what sticks more is the feeling I had when my parents and I said goodbye. For those reading this who know me, they are very aware that crying is not a word in my vocabulary; I just don’t do it. But that day I cried. Out of sadness, out of happiness, and out of a fear of what was to come.
When I look back on that nervous First Year ginger girl (yes, I know it’s fake), I can’t help but notice the transformation I underwent over the past four years. I became more independent, confident, and happy with the person I am. I put myself out there in the hopes of succeeding, knowing that I could fail. I made an endless amount of friends, took every class that interested me, and even managed to learn a few things along the way. And with all of this, I came to the important realization that college is the place to take risks because it’s the farthest thing from “real” life; it’s nothing like the scary, unknown world we’re all about to enter. Where else can you take two hours of class a day and then spend the remainder of it lying in the sun with friends? In what world can you go out four nights a week in costume-wear and manage to ace an exam the next day? How many other places supply you with a weekly decadent Mac n Cheese bowl, emails about the state of the traffic light on Route 15, and a small, plastic card you can swipe for anything that makes you forget about the unreal amount of student loans patiently waiting to be paid off?
People compete with and for many things, but our biggest competition is, and will always be, with time. As I write this, there is only one week left of classes. For some, it’s just the end of Undergraduate classes, but for me it’s the end of classes forever. And it’s not necessarily the culmination of classes that is so upsetting; it’s everything that goes along with them. The end of classes marks the end of an era. It means the semester is over and our title as Undergraduate Student switches to Alumni. It’s means this bubble we’ve spent the past four years in is about to pop.
Earlier this semester when I was in one of my many panic modes, searching franticly for a job, I called my dad hoping to receive an ounce of wisdom or advice. As I confessed that I was frightened of becoming a “real person,” he simply responded by saying, “Molly I don’t ever want you to become a real person.” So now I take this piece of advice and share it with everyone older, younger, and the same age as me.
College is about growing, maturing and realizing the type of person you wish to be. But it does not mean that you need to have all the answers. Age 18 may mark the dictionary definition of adulthood, and age 21 may mean you’re finally allowed to do the things you’ve already been doing for so long, but it does not mean you need to take life so seriously. I cannot stress this enough. It probably won’t resonate until you hit senior year and are grasping onto every last Bucknell breath, but there is a time to panic, be self-conscious, and take life seriously, and this is not it. Middle and high school were for cattiness, awkwardness, and unfortunate fashion trends. Our late 20s are for dating too much, having no money, and finally learning how to cook after making too many inedible meals.
Bucknell is for experience, excitement, and memories. It is a place to take risks because you have the security of knowing that someone will be there to catch you if, and when, you fall. So the next time you’re in the library getting ahead on work that’s due the next week and a friend asks you to grab dinner or watch a movie and share a bottle of wine, don’t turn them down, claiming to be the “responsible one.” Responsibilities are important, yes, but gaining all types of experience, from getting an on-campus job and taking challenging courses, to holding a leadership position, learning how to handle different social situations, and discovering what your drinking tolerance is, are important too. We learn the most about ourselves through experience. So however old you are and whatever you wish to be, just remember to open yourself up to every experience possible. This is the time and Bucknell is the place.