The semester is coming to a close end. Stress is flooding the last few weeks of May and is accompanied by finals. Students are bustling around campus, trying to see each other but also trying to write a million essays and study for tests. There are mixed emotions about ending the semester. Some people can’t wait for summer to begin and others can’t wait to come back to start the next stage of their education. As a freshman that attends San Francisco State University, this first year is having a bittersweet ending. Summer, which is going to be a lovely break away from academics to recharge, is approaching and I couldn’t be happier. There are a handful of things that as a freshmen, I am going to miss dearly.
1. City Eats
Freshmen that live on campus were required to have a meal plan and going to the dining hall was typically a freshmen thing to have. I’m going to miss being able to leave my dorm and right when I exit the building, a buffet of food would be waiting for me. Of course there are days where the food wouldn’t be stellar, but such is life. It still got me through the day and with my five-day meal plan I was virtually able to swipe in as many times as I wanted. This was especially convenient when guests came over. I could use my guest pass and we could eat here instead of spending money elsewhere because the broke college student norm is very real.
2. Living in the dorms (people & close to everything)
The best part about living on campus is:
A) It’s a lot easier to make friends
B) Your farthest class is 10 minutes away
It was a whole lot easier getting acquainted with people that lived in my hall because of the fact that we were constantly seeing each other. Of course there were downsides such as the community showers and not having the best living environment, but I wouldn’t change a thing if it meant meeting the people I met. Also living in the dorms made getting to classes much easier. The farthest building was in a 10 minute walking distance, which still seems exhausting but it’s better than what most people that lived off campus had to walk. It was convenient being able to rush from a class to the dorm if you forgot something or if you wanted to take a quick power nap and I’ll miss my little cubicle dearly.
3. Figuring out the campus (Cesar Chavez)
Most people find this annoying but I think figuring out the campus and exploring its crooks and crannies were interesting. The set-up of the campus is one that you become accustomed to the longer you’re here and I’m going to miss finding new things. I didn’t know we had a pool and arcade place until late first semester and that we could get free massages until mid second semester. Figuring out the shortcuts to classes and where to get the best coffee from on campus is an action I’m going to miss as my years here continue.
4. Being a bus stop away from anything
The transit system is your best friend. This can go for anybody attending SFSU. Everything is a bus stop and a walking distance away which is incredibly neat. There are so many places and areas to visit here in San Francisco and simply being at this campus brings you closer to all the festivities happening in the city. A BART or MUNI ride is all you need (unless you got money for a Lyft) which is especially useful when you need a quick getaway to be by yourself. I’m going to miss taking the 57 all the time down to West Portal to stop by the little stores but I know it’ll still be waiting for me when next semester comes.
5. First time pulling all nighters in the library
High school was fairly easy for me and I never had to stay up past 1 A.M for any project and assignment. College is a whole other story. All your assignments sneak up and pile on top of you and not in the cute puppy-dog-pile type of way but the crushing-your-spirit-and-ambition-type of way. The library became one of my most important friends this year. It was where I pulled my first all-nighter and as stressful as they could be, I’m going to miss it.
I’m going to miss the feeling of feeling like a college student for the first time. The first few times where I pulled an all-nighter, I suddenly understood all the stories of stressful college students I read in high school. I had become one of them. It was exciting almost, because it felt like I was doing something right in a sense. Now I understand that this will most likely be my life for the next few years but I’m always going to miss the feeling of the first time pulling an all nighter.
If you’re a freshman in college, slow down. Enjoy the time that you have left and realize that you have completed so many firsts that you will never get again.