A manifesto to the Class of 2017: Let’s go out with a bang
But, like, do I have to graduate?
Its like suddenly, your parents are pulling out of the Upper Quads parking lot and you’re left standing there wearing IC apparel thinking, “So this is it, this is college”.
College. These seven letters have basically defined our lives for the past 20 years. We were always told, “Do your best for it will pay off when it’s time to apply for colleges”. We all tried our best in High school, studied our asses off for the SAT’s, and also managed to stay involved within our community. Then we all started to visit colleges and all agreed on one that we now call home.
Its the end of August and I know for many of us, it feels like summer break just started yesterday. But, if you’re like me, a senior heading into the great unknown, you’ve already started to reminisce the past three years at Ithaca.
Remember when you received your acceptance letter feeling on top of the world, ready to experience a whole new environment that you’ve never experienced before? We were all ready for new opportunities, a new group of friends, and memories that would be filled of laughter, learning, and all of the ups and downs in between.
Then summer into freshman year flew by especially after orientation, and we were all scared and excited.
As a freshman, real life and troubles seemed so far away. We were all preoccupied with getting good grades, making friends, getting involved and having fun because we were supposed to be discovering ourselves. We were greeted by our RAs who made us sit through a two hour briefing of dorm rules regarding overnight guests and alcohol policies that would be violated shortly after the meeting came to a close and we made our way downtown for the first time.
Now blink three times and here you are, hours away from the start of your last and final year of undergrad. “Adulting” is knocking on our door and the freshman in us is crying and wondering, where did the time go?
Your last year of college is huge in so many ways. It symbolizes a milestone that many people have been reaching for their entire lives. It also marks the starting line for a type of life the majority of us have never known.
As for me (and I’m sure many other seniors), I am ecstatic to see the crossroads of these two chapters. Graduation is just around the corner .There are going to be many “lasts” but there will also be many “firsts” to come your way.
As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.” So as you cruise back to school and pull onto campus for the very first time senior year, make the most of the next ten months. This is our last opportunity to be young.
This will be the last time we can truly immerse ourselves in our studies, pick classes that you like and classes that will help you learn more about yourself and who you want to be. Leave your college or university with some incredible stories to tell. I hope you put away your phones and invest in each other. I hope you realize there might not be many nights like this again. With that being said, take it all in.
But, what I encourage you to remember on this last hoorah, are your friends. Friends become family and roommates become sisters. Take this last chance in school together and run in stride with your best friends one last time. Make bucket lists together, appreciate the time left.
Take the time to appreciate your surroundings and the college atmosphere because once you’re done with college, you will only have the memories – make sure they’re the best ones.
Say hello to all of the familiar faces you pass walking to class, they won’t be the same faces you see in a year’s time. Hell, say hello to everyone you see while walking to class. Take your senior year seriously, but also lightly. Remember to have fun (especially at Moonies), to make memories,and to never waste a day.
No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of anxiety can change the future. Don’t forget that good nights make life better. And by the end, we can all confess we will be a mess (especially me, the dramatic one). But when we are walking to receive our diplomas in May, I hope we all look back and think: Damn, that was one hell of a year and an amazing way to end it.