As we reach the end of September, college students are returning to their academic lives, leaving their hometowns and trickling back into classes. These past few weeks, I’ve returned to my sophomore year of college, and though I should have known it would be different from my freshman year, I didn’t expect nearly how much.Â
My freshman year was bittersweet, as I expect every year will be, but one overarching theme was that everything felt new. Each class, each new friendship, each party: everything felt like there was something new to find. Everything was incredibly exciting and meeting some of my best friends was the cherry on top. Freshman year is a chance to reinvent oneself, while sophomore year is turning to the self you created the year prior once again. Â
I expected that I would love everything just as much as my freshman year. I wasn’t entirely wrong; everything feels more comfortable. I know every street and my favorite restaurants; I’m no longer in a college town where I don’t know anyone. There’s something sweet about coming back to a place that feels like home. Simultaneously, I nostalgically miss the feeling of embarking upon the new adventure of university. I’ve realized that I adore change, solely because it allows me to remember the past more fondly.Â
In spite of this, there will always be new adventures to experience. This semester has already brought about new friendships, activities, and goals. I had to remind myself that change is perpetual, even if it isn’t drastic like when adapting from high school to university. Some change is gradual, a slow progressive change where you realize months later that you are no longer the same person as when you first began.Â
Oftentimes I hear about people hating change—they hate falling into new patterns and prefer the routine and stability of a life they know. The opposite, I find, is true for me. I find myself feeling bored if there isn’t constantly something new to think about, to aspire towards. Stepping back, I also think there can be a lot to learn from this different type of thinking. I’d like to learn to live in the moment, enjoying the routine of now, rather than yearning for change and waiting for the next new exciting thing. On the other hand, I urge those with the opposite thinking-style to embrace change: each move can bring something new which can be thrilling.Â
I may have loved how oblivious I was as a freshman, but as I spend time with all of my friends on a Wednesday night gossiping in the midst of homework—I pity the girl who didn’t know what she was missing.