Everything we’ll miss as graduating OSU seniors

The time has officially come for this class of 2016 to make their way across that beloved football field and be handed our diplomas. At this point, many seniors are probably scrambling to pick up their cap-and-gowns, somehow slide just above the passing point in all their classes, and stressing about finding their dream job when they still probably don’t know what they want to do.

Among all of the chaos of graduation day creeping up, it is important to take a moment and look back at your years here at the best damn school in the land and think about what you’re going to miss.

Walking through the Oval

The weather might not always be ideal, but even on the coldest of days that long walk reminds you that you truly do go to a beautiful university. Despite the less-than intriguing groups heckling you, having something going on every day shows just how large OSU is and all of the different communities that make it up.

Bar hopping on High Street

As we all know, High Street is going to start having a lot of changes coming in the next few years, and before we know it, the bar scene we know and have loved for four years is going to be unrecognizable. I know that in the last few days I have here it will be a point to enjoy my favorites that won’t be here when I come back for my first Alumni Game.

Game Day

Every Buckeye knows that and Ohio State Saturday is one of the most memorable (or forgettable) times we have every Fall. Game Day means a pool of Scarlet and Gray flooding the streets from Chittenden to Lane and everywhere in between. It’s hearing “O-H”and drunkinly slurring “I-O!” while buying your tenth pair of Buckeyes on the corner of “Undisputed Lane.” A lot of us came here for that experience alone and leaving knowing how expensive it is about to be to get a ticket once we are gone is heart-wrenching.

Hangover-free binge drinking

The thing about hangovers is they get wayyy worse with age. Going to Chumley’s on a Thursday, and class early the next day is slowly becoming a thing of the past. We’re still young, wild, and free, but the subtle hum of age is showing itself ever so slightly.

Friends everywhere

Never again will so many awesome people be just a hop and a skip away. Ohio State has opened the door to so many great friendships, and these people we hold near and dear to our hearts are going all across the U.S. (and even overseas) to do great and exciting things. The impromptu Mario Kart tournaments, brunch at the Blue Danube, and Ethyl trivia were a blast. I’ll always treasure the endless hours spent with my second family.

Those professors you actually liked

There are most definitely professors that you are NOT going to miss, but look back at those classes you took when you would leave every meeting feeling motivated and excited about whatever you were learning. That is the true beauty of college isn’t it? I know there are a few profs that I will forever be thankful for and who have helped shape me into the student I will forever be.

The feeling when you say “I go to Ohio State” 

Anywhere you study abroad or visit for Spring Break, people are always wondering where you go to school. There is no better feeling in the world than being able to beam with pride as you answer “I go to Ohio State.” Luckily, we will now always be able to say we “went to Ohio State.”

Seeing Brutus

Okay, I might just be a little obsessed with Brutus but I will always love when I will be at a concert not even associated with the university and all of a sudden Brutus comes out. Brutus will always hold the essence of what Ohio State is.

“OH-IO!”

For the rest of your life it will be an automatic reaction to scream “IO!” at the top of your lungs any time you hear even a faint “OH!” From NYC to LA there is bound to be someone wherever you go that will join in (we have over half a million alumni people). Don’t ever let anyone tell you to stop, “OH” and “IO” until death!

We could go on for days about all of the things we are going to miss, but really we can sum it all up in one word: everything. From late nights in the SEL to sitting at the amphitheater by Mirror Lake and thinking “I really go here, this is really my home.” There are countless memories we will all hold very dear to our hearts for years and years to come.

Ohio State has shaped us all into who we are about to be as we are set off into the world to stumble around trying to figure it out. There are many emotions we are feeling: fear, excitement, more fear, nostalgia, etc. but all of this is just another stepping stone into our futures.

So May 8th, grab your blinged-out cap and wrinkled up gown and head over to the Shoe one last time before you become a proud alumni of THE Ohio State University. Remember all of the people you’ve met and all of the things you’ve had the opportunity to experience, but most importantly, remember that this place will always be home.