It is that time of year again, where senioritis is in full effect and talk of graduation makes any senior shed a tear or two. Seniors are scrambling for jobs, perfecting their resumes, and trying to fit in everything they’ve wanted to do at JMU in their last few months. For many of us underclassmen, graduation is far from our minds; in fact we would rather never think about graduating from our amazing university. However, that time has to come for everyone, and learning from this year’s graduating seniors will help us make our last years at JMU the most memorable ones. After surveying a few members of this year’s graduating class, I was able to hear about their experiences at JMU, what they wish they could have done, and their advice for the rest of us.
Out of many memorable experiences, there were a few that stuck out in our seniors’ minds. From studying abroad to joining a sorority, these experiences are the ones that they can remember as being their favorite memories at JMU. One senior’s most memorable experience was being a First Year Orientation Guide for the incoming freshman class because she got to meet many friends and show how much she loved JMU. Another liked taking the centennial picture on the Quad, because it brought her closer to the JMU community. These types of experiences are huge parts of what make JMU the college community most people love and cherish. The closeness of the students makes it more of a home than just a school.
At JMU many people have a “bucket list” of things they wish to achieve or experience before graduation. This usually includes streaking the Quad, going through the spooky underground tunnels, and going to places around Harrisonburg, like Blue Hole and Reddish Knob. Many seniors were able to cross these off their list, but others wished they had done more. One senior would have liked to be kissed on the “kissing rock,” located on the Quad. Another wished she had actually gone into the tunnels after she found them. It was also exciting for many of our seniors to get awesome internships, make the Dean’s list, and be involved in many organizations around campus.
After asking the seniors what they would like to leave JMU with, the answer was mostly unanimous:
lifetime friends, JMU spirit, and experiences they can take away with them for life. Their advice for the rest of us still here? That your grades do really matter and it is important to study hard. It is easy for most of us to get swept away with our social lives, but when it comes time to graduate, you will have a weight lifted off your shoulders if you have good grades. They also said to get involved in anything you can because this is the perfect time to broaden your horizons. However, the most popular piece of advice from our seniors was to enjoy our time here because it flies by. They said to have fun because when we look back on college, we will remember how much fun we had over the amount of work we had. It is important to keep this balance between grades and social life in order to have a successful college experience. Four years can go by faster than we think, so it is important to make your college experience one that you will remember forever. As we all know these are the best years of our lives!