It’s the beginning of the end for all seniors. One last shot at a perfect college year. One last season of Notre Dame football. One last year of controlling your own schedule. And the senior comprehensive is on everyone’s mind. This isn’t the time to worry, but the time to simply live.
I’m not one for forgone conclusions; anything can happen in the next ten months, but I know that we will pass our comps and advanced W’s. We will graduate on time. With that in mind, as Gandalf the Gray would say, “all we now have to decide is what to do with the time given to us.” I don’t mean blow off your work and you’ll be fine, but do what you’ve always wanted to do at Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. Join a club just for fun, make plans with friends you don’t hang out with much, get to know the dining hall staff. Talk to your crush. You won’t get to experience these things again after graduation.
Put your heart into everything you do this year. Put your heart into both your comp and hanging out with your friends. Go to Sunday Mass at Le Mans and take it all in. The end of our undergrad lives are coming. The end doesn’t mean you’ll never have a great adventure in your life again, but as this part of our lives comes to a close, make it count.
The beginning of the school year usually means our RAs have put up a poster in the hall asking what our goals are for the year. Instead of putting something sarcastic, write what you actually want to do. Join student standups, run the Holy Half, audition for the upcoming plays. We regret the things we never do, so make your bucket list and get to work.
The end of our Saint Mary’s world is coming and the best way to be emotionally prepared is to truly live. Do your homework too, but more importantly, make this year count. It’s your last chance, do it well.