People say that the older you get the faster time passes, and I'm starting to believe them. As of today we only have a month left before this school year draws to a close. It feels like move-in day was only last week, but shortly we'll all have to start worrying about moving out.
When I first started applying to colleges, Saint Mary's was the last place on Earth I thought I would end up. I didn't even consider it as an option until the school I had planned on attending sent me a letter saying they had mistakenly accepted too many freshmen and had randomly selected me as one of the "lucky" students being asked to find another school.
After waging a battle to be reimbursed for my room deposit, reality struck, it was June and I had no plans for the fall. I had already turned down offers of admission to the other colleges I had applied to, and staying at home for a semester was not an option I was willing to consider.
Family members encouraged me to apply to Saint Mary's, and because I had no other choices, I relented. My application was turned in and processed with record speed, and a saintly woman in the admissions office helped me to arrange classes for the fall. Despite her kindness and my first campus visit, I was still less than thrilled to know I would be spending four years of my life in South Bend.
Some days, when the weather is ridiculously awful or I'm just in a grouchy mood, I still curse myself for not going to school somewhere else.
The thing is, though, as the end of my junior year gets closer, I find myself thinking about next year and how much I will not want to leave.
I don't want to have to grow up and live in the real world. Finding a job and paying bills just seems like too much stress. I've watched some of my friends go through the struggles of off-campus life and having to provide for themselves, and watched others as they strive to stand out in the increasingly competitive job market.
None of it looks like much fun.
There are things I will not miss at all about this place when I leave - like forcing myself to eat dining hall food, showering with shoes on and sleeping in a loft.
This list pales in comparison, however, to what I will miss.
Most of all, I'll miss my friends. Never again will I be able to live in a place where I can have a lifestyle like I do at Saint Mary's. This school has given me the opportunity to meet some of the most fascinating people, and to make some of my best friends.
It turns out spending four years in South Bend hasn't been as awful as I thought it would be, and spending 24 hours a day at an all-women's college hasn't killed me.
Who would have thought?
