The week of Homecoming is a marathon. It comes at an extremely academically busy time of the semester, when papers and midterms are hitting from every direction. But despite the chaos of this time of year, College of William and Mary students do what they do best and continue our ongoing juggling act, focusing a little bit more on “playing hard.” Between barbecues, mixers, alumni brunches and the very exciting campaign launch, by the Sunday night of Homecoming I feel like I need a breather.
This past Homecoming has been one of the events this fall that has made graduating seem more real. Friends came back to visit and regaled me with stories of the elusive “real world.” One of my friends stayed at my house, which made for an equally fun and busy weekend. In a few rare moments, like when we were walking down Richmond Road to our sorority house, it felt like sophomore year again, when she was still here. But then she would say something about law school or her apartment and it snapped me back into reality; I would realize, yet again, that our time together at the College had come and gone.
Being around my friends still at the College and my friends who have graduated made me feel like I had one foot in university life and one foot in the real world, and I was starting to lose my balance and fall toward the latter. I realized that this time next year, I will be the one crashing on someone’s couch and attending alumni brunches from the other side.
One of the highlights of the weekend was The Flat Hat reunion party, which I hosted at my house. When I was a section editor, the majority of the editors were seniors, so they left a big hole when they graduated. It was nice to see all of the old faces and know that they were doing well.
The biggest thing I took away from seeing recent alumni is that the next phase of my life will be exciting. I’ve always been excited to be an adult, but this year, with so much uncertainty, it’s seemed a little scary. But seeing all of my friends happy and contented made me realize that it is going to be okay. In fact, a new adventure is just what I need. For now I’m going to appreciate that my friends are within a 15-minute radius, because that will change in adulthood.
This weekend was Halloweekend and I have to take a minute to commend the students at the College for their creativity. At various parties, I got to talk to Bob Ross, Medusa and Taylor Swift’s cats. My friends and I dressed as Kanye West songs — “Drive Slow,” “Flashing Lights,” “The New Workout Plan” and “Devil in a New Dress.” It was a way to honor one of our favorite artists.
Tomorrow morning is the last class registration I’ll ever have at the College. My study abroad credits finally came in and I realized that I have finished both of my majors and all of my GERs. There is suddenly so much freedom. I could take Adventure Games or a random history class. For the first time, since I am not burdened by having to fulfill various requirements; I feel like the possibilities are endless. Readers, I’ll keep you posted on what fun and interesting classes I sign up for. But for now, I have to go to “family dinner” with my friends. My friend is making us Ramen Burgers, which is a new adventure in and of itself.
