First part by Devin Collins:
It doesn’t seem like two full years have passed since we stumbled through the Christy Matheson gates, unsure of what was ahead in our Bucknell futures.
There are still many late nights in the library left, 6pm dinners in the Bison and Super Saturdays where we will wear dresses even though it’s only 50 degrees. Yet, somehow there is a piece of our time at Bucknell that we have to say goodbye to. Maybe it’s because junior year means studying abroad for a lot, or becoming a “real” person and getting an internship. Maybe just maybe, it is because, although we don’t want to admit it, we realize our time at Bucknell goes by way too fast.
As I think about the short time left that my senior friends have, fulfilling their “Buck-et” list items and making the most of their final days at Bucknell, I think about everything I have accomplished in two short years, and everything I have yet to accomplish with only three semesters left.
Everyone will tell you, “Your time at college will be over before you know it; so enjoy it.” I’m sure that most of us take advantage of the many amazing opportunities Bucknell has to offer, but are we really enjoying every minute of it? Are we finding things we are passionate about, working hard for majors we love, and making friendships that actually will last a lifetime? School will always come first and foremost, but it should not be the only thing taking up all of your time.
When you look back senior year at this very same moment, you want to say, “We did.” (Yes, I realize that was an awful play off the “WE DO” campaign, but seriously…) The biggest piece of advice every senior has given me is, “Make the absolute most out of your time at Bucknell.” Freshmen, sophomores, and even juniors – I am talking to you. When you walk out of those gates for your final time at Bucknell, you want your biggest piece of advice to be something like, “Eat more fried mac and cheese from the Flying Bison.”
So stay up late watching a movie on a Sunday night in your mod; eat the Freez for breakfast, lunch and dinner; go to a speaker because it interests you; join a club you think is cool even if your friend’s don’t; and most importantly do what makes you happy. There will always be that one class you never quite got, or a test that you wish you could retake. No one can be a perfect student, but you can make your Bucknell experience perfect for you if you can find a balance between everything Bucknell gives you.
Finally, don’t wait until second semester senior year to do the list of things you always dreamed of – start doing them now. You can always add things to your list, but you can’t add time. Enjoy every minute of every day at Bucknell, and if you aren’t already, then do something to change it. Say goodbye to the mistakes of the first two years and embrace the semesters you have left to leave your mark on Bucknell – I guarantee in May 2016 you will wish you had.
Second part by Caroline Cutler:
For some inexplicable, inhumane reason, college ends. I didn’t realize the gravity of this fact until I looked at my planner and saw that I was nearing the last few pages of the school year. These last few pages mark the halfway point of my college experience. In essence, they mark the beginning of the end. So why am I having such a hard time grasping this fact? Perhaps it is a little bit of denial. Maybe an ounce of fear. But the greatest feeling of them all is nostalgia.
It is said that nostalgia is a sin, a form of sloth. It keeps people from growing and from living in the present. But while I appreciate this sentiment, I respectfully disagree. Nostalgia is appreciating the highlights, the good times. So I am going to take a moment and delve into this sin at full force. I am going to take this time to attempt the impossible: rewind time and reminisce on the first half of my college experience.
I don’t know if everybody thinks about memory in the same way. But when I remember the past two years, it comes back to me in an accumulation of snapshots. I have a vivid memory of trying to get my parents to leave my room so that I could have my first moment of independence. I remember getting on top of my new comforter, after they closed the door, feeling like that was really the beginning. I remember the first time my economics professor shifted my entire worldview about capitalism. Or the first time my political science class completely altered my political views. I remember the first, terrifying time I had to really take care of a friend.
In two short years, I have learned about myself, about other people, and about subjects that I didn’t know existed. And after writing this, I realize the real reason why I can’t deal with saying goodbye to the beginning of college. I don’t want to say goodbye to this phase of mind-blowing, world-changing learning of every kind.