Is Senior Year of College Fun?

Unintentionally and regrettably it's been almost two months since I last posted anything on this blog.

That fact may just be the perfect metaphor for the title of this post, though. 

Since the middle of October, I've been engulfed by a quarter life crisis of sorts brought on by job applications, phone interviews, and "business trips" all in the idea of setting in motion the next chapter of my life. I'm gracious for all these opportunities afforded to me by my school, and it's been an honor being able to join the elite fraternity of businessmen and businesswomen who confidently purchase and consume an overpriced alcoholic beverage (or two) in airports before noon.

But this quest has come with the opportunity cost of losing valuable and precious time as a college student. Maybe the loss was just a Thursday night's plans. It could have been an intramural playoff game where your lack of presence on the court actually spurred a winning performance from your team the next week. It almost always consisted of missing a finance lecture which should have- but not always necessarily did- required missing out on another day's adventure in an attempt to understand interest rates. I understand the necessity of this cycle in the circle of life, but it's hard to not let this FOMO additionally morph into:

1) Agonizing about every moment you said no to an opportunity during the previous three years 

2) Pleading for a chance to go back to the laissez fair attitude you should have employed more as an underclassman. 

Again, this isn't to say doing these interviews has been a waste of my time. One offered me the chance to reconnect with a friend from high school. Another the ability to explore the live music scene on Broadway in Nashville. I'll get to see the redwoods in the Pacific Northwest for the first time here next week. I eagerly await to hear back about my application to be the Offensive Coordinator for a Big Ten football program. Simply getting an invitation to do an interview validates every ounce of work put in over my college career as worthwhile. However, when juxtaposed with the college search of only a few years prior, it's hard to feel quite as romantic about the whole ordeal. 

Why? That feeling you hear all about of just knowing you found your home when you step on campus gets a little harder to identify when monotonous columns of fluorescent lights and identical rows of cubicles are independent variables from site to site. Hearing about your 401K and health insurance benefits pales in comparison to discovering the partnerships for study abroad trips different universities have across the globe. Having to reassure your friends you've made over your time in college their own quests will have a happy ending if they are off to a slower start is much more difficult this time around when they start expressing fears of being lapped by their peers. The one constant is every person you come into contact with on your "visits" will tell you how much they love it there which ends up being of little to no assistance at the end of the day. You get bogged down. You fall into a rut. 

Getting back to the titular question, the case I've laid about against senior year being fun indicates the answer is an overwhelming no, right? There have definitely been some moments where I would wholeheartedly be in agreement. Yet in the grand scheme of things, I think that answer is a total cop out. 

In this odd, transitional semester, I've tried to register and appreciate all the small things that make the college experience what it is more intentionally. That's why I thought a blog post about this was long overdue and an ideal manifestation of this thought process. Football games, the opportunity to meet astounding new people every day, cheap pizzas and beer pitchers, free t-shirts, and a whole host of other benefits aren't being take for granted or forgotten, because only when their days are numbered, will you begin to realize how much you'll miss them when they're gone. I've tried to remind myself to not dread a walk across campus, even in the rain, because it will be much easier evading puddles than car payments come next year. I've tried to get involved with things I failed to take advantage of earlier and diversify my time to reinvest in the people and things that have given me the most. Having a mindset to diligently replace every moan, gripe, and complaint with conversation, fun, and spontaneity has made this year a blast so far.

Senior year has taken on its own distinct identity, and perhaps that's why for brief lapses it's foreign nature bred some xenophobia and dread. But what year of college (or life in general) doesn't take on a life of its own? Don't let the bulls of the real world run you over because they are inevitably breathing down your neck- whether you pay attention to them or not. Run with them and enjoy the journey more than stressing about the destination. It's a lot more fun that way.

Plus, it's probably the only way to deal with the crippling nostalgia...

J. Nave