For the entirety of my college experience, the foundation of my relationships has been dinners at the dining hall. Now, this sounds very silly, especially considering the dining hall food at school is not always the first choice. However, I think the dining hall represents a commonplace amongst the students for reflection at the end of the day. Of course, all of your friends might not live in the same building or you might not see them throughout the day because of busy classes, so it serves as a nice place to come and eat a meal together.
My junior year especially had a very comforting routine with my closest friends and I grabbing dinner at the same time at the same dining hall most days. It served as a nice chance to hear about what was going on in my friends’ lives and just talk together. But I don’t think I fully realized this at the time, having no apprehensions about having no meal plan my senior year. As I am now a senior, my friends and I all have apartments with our own kitchens which means no dining hall for us. At first, I was thrilled: no more overcooked rice and under-seasoned vegetables for me! But at the beginning of the semester, I noticed I haven’t seen my friends as much as I used to and I used to long for the daily trips to the dining hall where I would see all of them. But then I realized that this is just real life. Real life after college, that is.
Going back to your apartment and making your own dinner is just a part of reality and growing up. And next year I will not be on a campus where all of my friends are a ten-minute walking distance away. Looking at this prospect is a bit of a daunting thought with graduation not too far away. However, this year I am challenging myself to embrace this change and try to find new routines within it. I’ve noticed that means inviting friends over for a meal or finding a new room in your schedule for those you love. Change is not always bad, but it usually takes some getting used to; which is usually the moral of most college dilemmas!
