Banners fly in the wind with big printed words, “Welcome Back Students,” but you know this is the beginning of the end. It’s that time of year where college life and the real world are too close to one another, and in a blink of an eye graduation is here.
The first night I came back to school this semester, I decided take my roommate and the girls next door to a house party since it was their first time in Oswego. I walked them down Bridge Street and became a tour guide for the night, showing them the in’s and out’s of the town.
When I was a freshman, I unfortunately didn’t have my own tour guide. Coming into college as a freshman you feel like a puppy; timid, yet will try anything if everyone else is doing it … depending on what “it” was. It’s the year that one becomes more of an individual.
Being completely by yourself in an unfamiliar environment can be alarming and cause anxiety, but also be exciting at the same time. The experience of being on your own takes over your mind. You finally come to the realization that nobody gets to tell you what to do, the dream of every 18-year-old.
The word procrastination is discovered and now is implanted in your mind. Waiting until the last minute to do homework and cramming in the material for Tuesday’s psychology test becomes the norm. Skipping the readings and just laying in bed watching Netflix instead is the daily routine.
Four years later, you have the experience and know what’s to come. You feel more relaxed and don’t overreact to “Wing Night” that everyone flocks in line to go to. You know where the hot spots are for parties and which bars to hit for the cheapest drinks. You still procrastinate like you did freshman year, but now your organization is much more organized. There is more confidence that surrounds you now that you’ve been around the block. Four years seems like a long time, but time moves quicker than you think.
And now, as I start my senior year, I’m being hit by waves of nostalgia and wishing I had just one more year in Oswego. It’s the place where I was not judged for my mistakes and given numerous chances. It’s the place where I learned the definition of true friendship. It’s the place where I became one step closer to knowing who I am and forming my own identity. But as I sit here I’m realizing that we all have to prepare for the next chapter of life, to become the new freshmen of the real world.