Because life is too short to say no
The second semester as a college senior is not for the weak. Though everyone has different experiences, I can honestly say that college has been some of the best years of my life—at least so far. I have found my best friends, learned about my passions, grew in times of discomfort and turned into a person I am proud of. With that being said, I have decided that I need to make the most of my spring. Post-graduation is filled with so much excitement and uncertainty and knowing that I won’t live with my best friends forever is almost impossible to fathom. There have been countless times in life—especially during college—where I have decided against doing something for no real reason at all. From getting coffee with someone, to going on a weekend trip, there have been moments when the plans don’t pan out. Though this is inevitable, I think that sometimes this can be fixed by simply just saying yes and showing up.
I want to preface this by saying that I understand that decision making is far more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Many people make decisions based on factors that others may not even be aware of, like mental health or family matters. However, I personally want to soak in my last few college months by doing as much as I can. A common scenario in my friend group is getting excited about the idea of something and then never seeing it through. Or maybe deciding against a plan last minute because of homework or work. The way I look at it, I do not want to look back in one, five, or ten years knowing that instead of grabbing dinner and drinks with my roommates, I was stressing over homework that was not due for another week. Life is so short and college is only 4 years of your life. Why would I waste them because I am too in my head?
You may be wondering how exactly I plan on seeing my semester of “yes” come to fruition. One of the biggest things that has helped me actually commit to spending time with the people I love is a bucket list! It sounds silly, but brainstorming a list of activity ideas, big or small, makes it way easier to actually do them. My friends and I have created a list of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, sports games and more in Madison and have been doing one item from our list a week. It has been so fun to try new things, explore my home for the past 4 years and make new memories with my friends.
If you take away anything from this article, I hope that it’s to live in the moment and DO things. Life really is just what you make of it. Trying your hardest to have shared experiences with those that are closest to you make those moments all the more special. Second semester seniors: your future self will thank you!