Finals week is finally here. I’m excited more than anything else. I’ve finished my paper finals and my project finals, having only one genuine exam left. It’s definitely been hard and a lot of work, but so much fun at the same time. I would be lying if I were to say that I won’t miss having school and going to class despite all of the work I have to do. It is so much fun even with the stress: learning new things, meeting new people, what have you.
So far one of the hardest things this week has been balancing studying with seeing all your friends before they leave. People have started leaving already and if you haven’t made plans to see them over the summer, this new family of yours will be gone all summer. It generally inspires a certain need and want to say goodbye to them and give them a hug. But guess what? You still have a final left to study for. So then comes the choice: hang out with people, or study. Well the right answer is probably a little bit of both, but it’s pretty hard to be able to figure out how much of either is the right amount. You don’t want to abandon your friends, especially the seniors that you may not see for a long time, but obviously you are also here for school and want to pass. It’s a difficult choice but I think that I have balanced it well.
I have made a lot of friendships here already that will last a lifetime and I can’t wait to find more relationships like that in the future. My brother is graduating so I am staying here at Lawrence between finals and graduation. It will be so strange having the dorms empty and seeing fewer around campus except for seniors and anyone doing summer research. On the bright side, I will get to see the seniors walk and hang out with them for a little bit before finals. Also, I will get to see my brother before he moves out to go start his own life. It’s kind of crazy to think that I will be where he is in just 3 years from now.
After an entire year here, I couldn’t imagine myself at any other place. The people I have met, the classes I have taken, and just the general feel is perfect for me. I’m looking forward to next year when we get to start playing tennis again as a team and adopting new freshmen into our family like they did for me. I hope I can live up to how high these guys set the bar. Yeah, sure, I’ll miss everyone over the summer, but I’m already elated to hear what they will have done and about all of the research they’ve been doing (One of my best friends is working on plasma physics research this summer on one of the only machines in the world that does what it specifically does. I’m curious to see what they find). I can’t wait.
