This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.
These last two years have been anything but what we expected. Between COVID, political unrest, global changes and that weird bit there with the murder hornets, we’ve all had a lot to deal with. What should have only been a two-week spring break during my sophomore year has fast-forwarded to me now being a senior in college and trying to figure out what really happened in the middle there.
COVID seniors this year probably got robbed of a lot more than they know, but it wasn’t all bad. I still enjoyed my college years, and I still plan to milk my senior year as much as humanly possible. Here’s some advice from a COVID senior:
- Don’t just go to class. Seriously, I can’t stress this enough: Join a club, go to a game, talk to your professors, go to a party, go to weird campus events, etc. It’s been so long since I’ve actually sat in a classroom, I don’t remember much of what classes are really like. All my college memories aren’t in classrooms.
- EXPLORE!!! If you’re anything like me, you chose a school where you had to dorm and you wanted it that way. It’s a whole new world there – new shops, new restaurants, new weird little tourist traps. There’s a lot to explore out there. Go on Google, and find somewhere new for coffee. Get on Atlas Obscura, a personal favorite website of mine that’ll find you fun bits of history in your area.
- Choose your friends wisely. More likely than not, your freshman friends aren’t going to be your senior friends. There will always be a good few who stick around, but you’ll see through who won’t pretty quickly. While it may be fun while it lasts, look at the people you surround yourself with and ask yourself: “Do these people really care about me the way lifelong friends should?” As a senior, I’ve come to narrow down the people I hang out with, and I can genuinely say who I want around me for the rest of my life.
- Don’t scoff at the party girls. Parties aren’t for everyone, that’s just a fact, but don’t make fun of the people who like to go out to frat parties or bars. I can genuinely say I’ve met some of my favorite people at parties. Everyone is on the same playing field at a party, you don’t feel judged, and drunk girls in the bathroom will ALWAYS hype you up.
- Find at least one new hobby/skill. I remember someone freshman year saying to me “Oh, I couldn’t possibly bring a TV for my dorm, I won’t have the time to watch anything! I’ll be studying and in class way too much!” Well, I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong that was. I have more downtime than I know what to do with. It’s the late nights and weekend afternoons that really get you, when you aren’t really sure what to do. Especially as someone who lives out of state, attending a suitcase school (a college where practically everyone goes home on weekends). Maybe try to find a new hobby. Make the most of that free time! I never knew how much I would love graphic design or painting until I got too bored at school and decided to Google how to do it!
- Take pictures! Now, on more than one occasion, I have been told I take WAY too many pictures. While I definitely take more than the average person, I love to go back and look through them. Take videos and pictures, make TikToks, post whatever you want. It’s the memories you’re going to wish you made.
- Take care of yourself. It might seem like common sense, but it’s a lot harder than you think. Between weird dining hall hours and long homework assignments, it can become difficult to find time to eat, sleep and shower. I struggled with this a lot and it’s hard to admit it, but it’s definitely something I need to work on.
- Become independent. Realize that you don’t have to have someone do everything with you. Sometimes, you have to realize you can’t wait around for people to be free so you can do the thing you want/need to do. I’ve actually come to realize I really prefer to run errands alone. I love to go grocery shopping and thrifting solo, it’s a little peaceful bit of my days.
- Try to teach yourself some things. I haven’t actually sat in a classroom since March 2020. I’ve always lived on campus and I realized my professors would never be held accountable for online classes. I had professors who completely gave up online teaching halfway through the semester, or professors who were supposed to hold classes in person but decided against it the day classes started. I realized I was never going to get those two years of education back. I had to really learn to teach myself things. I had to sit down on YouTube and Zoom with classmates who I’ve never seen in person to learn how to do my work.
- Enjoy it while you can. I actually get angry thinking about how my prime years, when I can actually live my life with few repercussions and few worries, have been stolen from me. You only really get four years of college, and I’ve lost two, basically three. My senior year is taking a turn for the better, but I’m still trying to live it to my best ability.
I loved my time at Montclair State University and have met some of my best friends here. I’ve had a lot of hardships but also just as many amazing memories. Her Campus has been one of the best outlets for me to talk about my time, and I’m really glad I had this opportunity. Really, truly, enjoy your college time while you can.