7 Things I Miss From College
Posted by Kaileen Elise on August 24th, 2010
Tell me, what is you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
(Mary Oliver)
Living down the street from a major university makes it hard to miss when school’s back in session. The roads are a bit more packed during the morning hustle, the weekend bar scene is brimming with fresh faces, and the grocery store is full of kiddos buying Ramen and Gatorade.
It’s hard to believe that 7 years ago, my parents dropped me off at UNLV’s freshman dorms for what would become the most formative years of my life. Looking back, I’m sure they were both proud and petrified that I earned a swimming scholarship in Sin City.
The years I spent as a Running Rebel have influenced the life I live today in so many ways—I know that I’ll carry the friendships and memories (and credit card debt!) from those days with me for years to come.
The following list highlights some things I miss as I watch a new batch of freshman unknowingly begin the greatest time of their lives…
The freedom to build a class schedule that works for me.
Getting wrapped up in deep conversations on life, faith, and big ideas.
Working through the rhythm of each new semester with weeks off in between.
Connecting with interesting professors who’s life work is to educate others.
Dwelling in small living quarters and owning minimal belongings.
Participating in community, joining clubs and crashing events with free food.
Believing in unlimited possibilities & thinking that growing up is far off in the future.
Reminiscing about the glory of my college years makes me grateful for the journey I’ve traveled. What do you miss from your ‘way back when’ days?
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Tags: 32 Days, Balance, Gratitude, Personal Growth
I miss the unexpected. You never knew what was going to happen, and you were ready for anything.
That makes me excited for the rest of my high school years, and Uni beyond- thank you.
I miss choosing obscure classes and not having to get out of bed until lunchtime if I timetabled right!
I miss meeting new people on an almost daily basis and I miss the top floor of the library.
I miss living on seemingly so little money and I miss my old waitressing job.
But most of all I miss being so young that I saw the world with big round saucer like eyes. Yeah, I miss that….
I really miss being next door or sharing a room with my best friends – we all live pretty far apart (the shortest distance is 2 hours, the longest 7, by car) and I really miss our impromptu group dinners, complaining over the terrible dining hall food, having great conversations and great laughs and them just generally being only a walk away.
All of this aspects of college life sound great … but I have to say that you CAN still experience all of that in your regular life! Some elements may be tougher than others, but all are possible.
Oooooh this gave me goosebumps (and makes me wish the cold weather were here to stay!) I’m so blessed with my life as is, I don’t wish I could go back…but I do miss the start of new classes, making new friends, and knowing that you have all your life in front of you now! I am 29 and officially feel old!
Being able to choose whether or not I wanted to go to class. Sometimes a gal needs a bed day, and you can’t exactly “skip” work whenever you want!
I miss naps in the middle of the day. My roomates and I used to always have scheduled nap time and we would all nap. Then we would make sure everyone got up and off to our next event, class, meeting, etc.
I totally agree with EKN–I miss naps! And the freedom to skip class if I wanted. I also miss walking everywhere I went (because there was no parking and gas was too expensive), sitting outside with my roommates drinking beer and people-watching, and staying up late talking about where we wanted to be in 5 or 10 years. The college I attended started classes today… I was reminiscing about how it was 13 (!!!) years ago when I started my freshman year.
I miss being able to pull all-nighters, whether due to studying/cramming or having fun ;0. Also, the freedom from “adult” responsibilities, like a mortgage, car payments, a 9-5 job; not letting fear hold me back; feeling invincible; spending my days balancing what I wanted to do with my obligations. That was 15 years ago and how time flies…thanks for bringing up some good memories.
This nearly brought me to tears! With my sisters heading back to school, I have been reminiscing about college a lot….and oh how I miss it. I miss having 25 different closets to choose from. I miss seeing a friend every few steps and getting 30 hugs every.single.day. I also miss those late night talks on the steps about life, love, and the kind of person we wanted to be.
Glad someone else is feeling the same way!
I miss learning and being challenged every day. I miss talking about deeper meanings. I miss feeling a sense of accomplishment and purpose. It’s not always easy to find all those things in a 9-5 job! I definitely seek out challenges and growth opportunities on my own, but I don’t have community support like I did in college.
Aww geez. I just graduated in May so this is the first time I’m dealing with the whole back-to-school season (and the fact that I’m no longer a part of it!). I love your list, it made me so nostalgic. I think the thing I miss the most is just being surrounded by the people you live, work & play with all day, everyday. Although I used to whine about how exhausting it was (I mean seriously…I had to “get ready” to do something as simple as buy a gallon of milk just in case I ran into the cute guy from my class)…I miss it now. There were so many opportunities to make friends with like minded people and I wish I would’ve taken more of them