There are a number of things that have made my time at Oxford both memorable and challenging, but soon I will be on my way to Emory College, and I will have to move on from this most bizarre of campuses. From trekking to Common Ground every week (until its early demise) to being trampled by Dooley’s entourage at Fall Formal, my first two years of college have been unusual. I have learned more about who I am, what I stand for, and where I want to see myself in the future than I have ever before. I have been pushed to the limit during exam season, I have had my ego checked by critiques from my demanding professors, and I have survived countless social debacles, but I pushed through it and came out feeling both weary and victorious. I owe a lot to Oxford. I’ve done more than my share of learning here in my personal life as well as academically, but now it almost feels as if I’ve outgrown the campus around me.
I still feel motivated to work hard and do my best to achieve, but the promise of new opportunities and challenges at Main Campus are becoming ever so much more appealing. I was reflecting with some of my hallmates about our “oxperience,” and we’ve decided that as much as we loved our time here, we are simply “ox’d out.” The small campus feel can be magical and inspiring with the familiarity we have with the faculty, staff, and students but this familiarity can also be repetitive, stinting, and claustrophobic at times. We’re ready for a bigger campus, more options for courses, and for the same sense of curiosity and wonder we felt as we first set foot on Oxford’s campus in 2016. We’re ready for a new challenge, but we will never forget the memories we created here like running through the trails on a Sunday afternoon, freely chatting with our favorite professors during their office hours, and squealing with excitement when the omelet bar finally opened in the new dining hall. Oxford is a wonderful place to grow, but eventually, you’ll need to stretch your wings to reach bigger dreams at Emory College and beyond.