Senior year of college. Where did the time go? What happened to my twin bed in my dorm room with no ceilings? And my shower shoes with matching shower caddy? Most of all, what happened to the endless amount of time that I thought I had before my last first day of school? The day that I was waiting for since my first day of high school- or so I thought.
I remember the day I graduated high school. I sat in the cathedral with one hundred and three girls by my side, and I picked at the tassels that hung on the cord around my neck trying so hard to not make my eagerness to finally be done with high school show. Now, as I sit here, writing my last first article for HerCampus, I wish I had taken it all in, starting on that very day.
I never considered how much I would miss high school until I was sitting in my Organic Chemistry class pulling my hair out, wishing I could go back, at least to graduation, the day that seemed like forever ago. Realizing that there is absolutely nothing I can do to get this day back, I decided that I have to take in everything that remains during my final days of college. With this being said, I decided to make changes to my life in order to make the most of my time.
Before this, all I was focused on were the possibilities for the kind of life I’d lead come graduation, saying screw it to everything in between. But now, with under fifty days left of school things are different. I wake up a little earlier so I can spend a little more time enjoying the little things. Instead of only taking pictures of the sunrise I see from my window every morning, I write about it too. I write how I feel, what my senior year house smells like (sometimes it can be scary), I write about the friends that I have and the little things that they say and do that make each day a good day. I write in addition to the photos I take because one day when I look back and it becomes harder to remember the little things, I may not be able to remember it all from a photograph.
I spend quality time with quality people, making quality memories. Whether they attend school with me or are a part of my life in some way or another this year- they matter. Seeing so many people lose their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving loved ones behind, I stay a little longer and love a little stronger. It was this year that I realized the importance of practicing quality over quantity.
Finally, I take the long way. I have learned to enjoy the ride. It’s a cliché, but it’s true- the ride is always more valuable than the actual thing you’re after. I have learned so much about the places I go and the people I meet by going the extra mile or two. Doing this has made life more fulfilling, and has made the days count.
Being a senior is different, to say the least, because you’re at the top of the class, but at the same time, it’s sad knowing that soon you will be forgotten as you leave campus for the last time and realize that it’ll be a while before you come back. It’s scary to think about being forgotten by a place you have called home for so long. So leave something worth remembering behind, do good, spread happiness, and be kind. Do it right, let senior year treat you well. Like every other year, it’ll give you laughs, late nights, friends, and memories- but this year make sure you take in every aspect of everything you get because soon it’ll be gone. You’ll be working a 9-5 and going to sleep before 10 p.m. You’ll meet someone, if you haven’t already, and get married and start a family. With the hustle and bustle of everyone else you have taken on as a responsibility, you may find that these four years, the years that should be some of the best years of your life, might not be as easy to remember as you thought. So take too many pictures, write down everything that you feel, go out with your friends while you still have the time and energy, take the long way home, and make every day count; because once these days are gone, you can never really get them back.