Two months from now I will officially be a college graduate. It’s an intense time of year — finishing up my last few classes, making sure everything is in order for me to graduate, and making those last-minute memories. But despite being so busy, I am making an effort to pay attention to the things I want to remember most about my college experience: my friends, the campus, and myself.
- My Friends
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I have made such wonderful friends during my time at Virginia Tech. From the people in my classes, to those I’ve studied abroad with, to those I’ve met waiting in the dining hall lines, I have truly connected with so many amazing people. And during this last semester, I have been trying to prioritize spending intentional time with them. It’s been so easy for so long to just know that I could drive to their house in five minutes, or see them in class every day, but we won’t have that geographical privilege for much longer. I’ve always been the type of person to prioritize school above all else, but realizing that we will be going our separate ways very soon has made me see how important it is to prioritize my relationships. At the end of the day, those are what will actually matter — more than school, more than assignments. So, between spending hours talking in Shanks, or getting coffee on the weekends, or even just taking the time to answer texts, I feel that I’m solidifying my college relationships to last a lifetime. I’m always going to be in their corners, cheering them on, watching them make their marks on the world, and how I am as a friend now is going to show them that before we go out into the world.
- Campus
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Blacksburg is such a beautiful place, and I’ve been lucky enough to live here for the past few years. I love the way the mountains look when the leaves start to change. I love the Hahn Garden in the springtime, lit up with pink flower buds. I love the hot days just as school is starting. And okay, I’ll admit, I could do without the blustering wind that accosts me in the winter when I’m just trying to get to class even though there’s a foot of snow on the ground — but even that I’ll remember with a smile. For the past few years, I feel I’ve especially taken the campus for granted. I’ve been on my phone when I walk from place to place, or just in my own mind not really paying attention to my surroundings. But now, I’m trying to feel myself move through this space more. I’m making an effort to look up from my phone and take in my surroundings more often; I’ve even started taking pictures of the random beautiful moments, like the sun setting behind the Pylons so I can appreciate them later, too. Living on a college campus is such a unique experience, and not everyone gets to do it. It’s a time between childhood and adulthood, but that time is rendered in a physical environment. You can see it in the crowds at football games, in the apartments we live in, and even the pajamas people wear to class. There’s no other place quite like a college campus; it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m going to spend as much time appreciating it as I can.
- Who I am
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I think the most important thing I’m paying more attention to in my final weeks as an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech is who I am at this current moment in time. We put so much emphasis on the things going on around us, the college experience, that we tend to forget to reflect on who we are while we are living that experience. I’m never again going to be 21 in Blacksburg, spending my time going to class and doing homework, dressing up in maroon and orange and going to football games. One day I won’t have any more swim practices to go to, Glossolalia meetings to run, or Her Campus articles to write. So, while I’m doing all the things I’m doing as a college student, I’m trying to create a core memory of who I am while I’m living this part of my life. I know that I like to have my curtains open in the morning, so I can do my homework in bed with the morning light. I know that I like to park in Perry Street when I go to McComas because I’m terrified of getting a ticket from VT parking services. And I know that I am a Hokie, forever and always, but right now, I’m in a place where that is what matters most.
Whether you’re getting ready to graduate like me, or you still have years left in your college career, I hope you’re paying attention to these things, too. These memories are important, so that we have something to think of when we think of our college years, of the time between being a child and being an adult. All the freedom and ambition that came with feeling “in-between.” I know that I’m ready for the next chapter of my life, but I’m certainly glad to have a little more time left to hold on tightly to the memories I’m making now.