“When I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever; and if I had the choice, I’d always want to be there; those were the best days of my life!”
The lyrics to this Bryan Adams song do a dandy job at summing up the farewell sentiments of every graduating student. The three years that every student spends at college are some of the best of his/her life. Not only does he acquire a worthwhile education, but he/she also stands to gain some great life experiences. And that is probably why the last few months of the sixth semester make even the strongest of hearts weak with emotions of sweet despondency and yearning.
As the curtains to this phase of life are drawn, certain common thoughts swim through the mind of every graduating student. Retrospection not only refreshes pleasant memories, but also uncovers some nasty moments that are capable of haunting a person for life. Then there are those tiny, nagging regrets, things like “I wish I had done this,” “I wish I could have been that,” “I wish I had said this” and so on.
After talking to a couple of my seniors, I’ve put down a list of things that a third year student wishes he/she had done in his three years at college:
1. “I wish I had confessed my feelings to my crush!”
You know what they say about young love, don’t you? The presence of it makes your life beautiful, and the absence of it- a living hell. Especially when everyone else you know is falling in love and you’re just falling into a bowl of chocolate ice cream (emotional eater, eh?). Things become so much worse when you’ve harboured feelings for someone all throughout college, but never have had the courage to confess to them. But then comes your last semester. You’ve got nothing on you anymore and you’re finally ready to declare your love. Alas! Life isn’t that easy. Because by now, your crush already has a hot girlfriend. And they’ve been going super strong. In fact, they’re the next big thing after Brangelina. Sigh. Talk about ‘relationship goals’.
2. “I wish I had joined a college society!”
You’ve been an introvert all your life. However, that has never bothered you. But then comes the farewell season. You get invited to your college farewell. And your departmental one. If you’ve known enough ‘cool’ people, maybe you’ll get called for the unofficial farewell too. But you never came out of your comfort zone, made an effort and joined a college society. Not only did you miss out on making lifelong friendships, attending house parties, learning a new skill and competing at fests, but you also missed out on one of the best farewells: a society farewell. Naturally, your sense of regret will grow stronger during this period and you will just have to gracefully take the blame for your own doing.
3.”I wish I had gone out more often!”
As you spend your last days on campus, the frequency with which you visit your favourite food joints will increase. But something funny will happen as a consequence: your eyes will suddenly open up to all those eateries and food addas in and around your own hang-out spaces that you never went to during your college life! You’ll find yourself wondering: Did this lounge/restaurant/club recently come up? Or was I just too regular at my own lounge/restaurant/club to notice this one? Whatever may be the reason for your sudden awakening, the point is, you’re going to be deeply sorry. And you’ll wish you had gone out more often with your friends, exploring new places and having new adventures.
4.”I wish I had dressed better!”
A ‘no-uniform’ policy and the initial excitement of college gave you an incentive to dress your best in your first year. But by the end of the second semester, your enthusiasm began to pale. By the end of your third semester, you couldn’t give two hoots about what you wore for your drab lectures. So you spent a majority of your college life in chappals, pyjamas and basically what lazy bums like to call ‘casual and cool’ clothing, which, for your information, is just a lame excuse for lacking initiative, creativity and a sense of style. But now you’ve got a placement. And you know that your future wardrobe is going to be limited to formal or boring attire. That’s when you will feel remorseful for not making an effort to dress up when you had the opportunity.
5. ” I wish I had attended that professor’s lecture more regularly!”
Farewells bring out a welter of emotions in most people. They soften you up: old vendettas are forgiven and forgotten and you begin to see everyone and everything with a new-found appreciation. Even certain professors, whom you never liked before, now seem so kind and endearing. In fact, your interest in their subject suddenly increases and that’s when you wish you had been more regular and attentive for their lectures!
So at the end of it all, here’s a little bit of advice for the second year and first year students reading this article: You’ve still got one year/two years with you, respectively. Please wake up to the multiple opportunities that college offers you. Make hay while the sun shines and you’ll have no (or at least fewer) regrets when it’s your time to leave.
Amen.
Feature Image: judson.edu
Kriti Sharma
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