My roommates and I realized something the other night – we’re old. We’re living in a house off-campus, applying for jobs and internships, and wondering what we’re going to do when we graduate in a little over a year. It’s a totally different world than it was when we were freshmen only two years ago. I’ll let you in on a few insights that come with being an #old upperclassmen at Tulane…
Meals
While I’m definitely not saying I miss Bruff itself, I miss the convenience of Bruff, or even just being on a meal plan in general. No, seriously! I never thought I’d actually say that, but I can’t cook if my life depended on it, and it’s so time-consuming (not to mention a hassle) to come back home and make meals or go pick up food for yourself when you’re busy. Take advantage of having someone to make a sandwich or a bowl of pasta for you at almost any given point of the day. The dishes don’t wash themselves, either…
This Buzzfeed explains it all: http://www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/reasons-it-sucks-to-share-a-kitchen
Bills, Bills, Bills
As a freshman/sophomore, once you pay for your room and board, you never have to worry about it again. Now, we have to pay for Internet, TV, electricity, and rent every month. Coordinating with subletters is another headache and a half, too.
Cleaning
Today, two of my roommates and I spent over 3 hours cleaning our apartment from top to bottom. Our house has never looked better (I’d like to think that’s because we were singing “It’s a Hard Knock Life” the whole time), but we learned not to take it for granted when someone used to clean our bathrooms on a weekly basis.
Major Decisions
Excuse the double-entendre on that one, but getting older means that you actually will be deciding on a major, and starting to think about what you want to do in life. A major is definitely not the be all or end all of what you will do in life, but it is something you should give a decent amount of time thinking about and deciding upon. As you get older, there’s less and less time you have to take a wide range of classes, and more time you’ll have to spend taking requirements and major-related ones.
Summer
There’s no time for us to have a lazy summer sitting by the pool in a few months. Now’s the time we need to be focused on getting our dream internships and preparing for our futures. Hopefully my future includes sitting by a pool, though.
That said, I wouldn’t trade living off-campus for anything. It’s given me such an appreciation for things that you don’t even think about when you’re a little younger, while simultaneously making me feel more and more like a responsible adult. Well, most of the time, anyway. I’ve also gotten even closer with my roommates, who are also my best friends, and have started to see Tulane in a totally different light.