I miss college. I miss the classroom, where I learned cool diverse topics ranging from estimating what hand people have in Texas Holdem in Game Theory to analyzing how corporations can become more profitable to understanding how race riots and living standards affect the economy. I wish I could still debate law cases, discussing something new every day (unlike at work), and constantly trying new things. I long for that period of open mindless and a sort of naivity, where I could procrastinate and chat on Facebook in the middle of class. Yeah, I obviously won’t miss the all-nighters and the cramming for the exams, I would trade them instantly for the opportunity to continue learning in the classroom.
I miss the campus environment even more. I'm nostalgic for the good old days, when unlike at work, I could flirt with the girls and friend them on Facebook, when weekends and parties started on Thursdays, when it was acceptable to go to bed at 4 in the morning and wake up at noon. I miss the luxurious views of the Charles River from StuV I and II, the lights of Fenway Park from the 13th floor of the Warren Towers, and late night dinner parties at West Campus. I miss the thrill of sneaking alcohol into the dorms, and later, the challenge of getting it to the underage people. I miss jogging along the Charles River in the early Fal and the late Spring, playing tackle football in the snow next the BU Beach, playing soccer in the parking lots drunk, and tanning at the BU Beach. I want to continue making new friends in the classroom and in the dorms, and then randomly running into them on campus, only to make plans for the next night. I want to form continue forming connections at parties and compete in beer pong until I can barely stand up. I don’t want the music from my roommates’ laptops and our neighbors to ever stop. I still cannot believe that I ate dinner with professional hockey players and played soccer with players who are now in the MLS. I miss the diversity of the students, and seeing so many faces walking all over campus
I miss the BU house parties, the MIT frat parties, and the hockey games against BC. I miss playing soccer, basketball, and football on Nickerson Field or/and at the gym, singing on the bus to Revolution games wasted, but still drinking...before kickoff had even started. I was so fortunate to riot after the Red Sox won it all in 2007, and then attend the parade of the greatest hockey team ever in 2009, after watching its dramatic victory to win it all .I even long for those painful moments...driving the girl who blacked out back to her house, my friend puking all over me in the taxi cab, me running to catch the train and falling down, injuring my knee, almost being busted for underage drinking by the cops, yet still managing to run away...those events seemed at the time to completely suck but now just remind me of how much fun I once used to have.
But more than anything else, if I could take one thing back from my college life, it would definitely be my friends...especially the closest ones who have since moved far away, with only the Internet and the phone keeping us communicating. Those small moments that with them that I took for granted, but ended up treasuring for the rest of my life. Getting a pie thrown in my face and a champagne shower for my birthday. Lighting shots of rum on fire inside my friend’s dorm. Bribing the bouncers and owners of clubs and bars to let us in underage, and then ending up knowing them well enough to get VIP treatment once becoming of age. Trips, oh especially the trips. Being so drunk on my 21st birthday in Hawaii that I could not even enjoy the food that I paid over $100 for. Blowing over 3 grand over 2 trips to Vegas. Seeing my friend fall on top of another friend, drunk, after a night of heavy partying in Montreal. Sneaking in alcohol on the bus to Electric Zoo in New York. Skiing lessons in New Hampshire until my butt hurt from falling down so much. What now? From India to Israel, to Iran, from Germany to Ghana, Ecuador Egypt to England, too many of my friends have moved away. The most difficult, most depressing part of saying goodbye is knowing that you may never see all of your friends at the same time again.
If you have just began college, or are fortunate to still be in it, do yourself a favor and take my advice. Don’t overstudy, like I did. Don’t make my mistake of being too lazy to get off your ass to go to that party and watch Sportscenter instead, depriving yourself of meeting new people, perhaps potentially even your future partner. You are only in college for 4 years, yet in these 4 years, if you do it the right way, you will find the most fun ever, as well as the most memorable moments of your life, ones that you will almost be depressed to stop doing once you graduate. This is your last chance to still be a kid sometimes; it’s all about adulthood after graduation. Sure, I shall still go to the BU parties, still hang out on campus and visit friends, but it just will not be the same as when I was actually always here. If I could become a freshman all over again, and not have to pay the same money for it, I would do so in a heartbeat. After all, you only get 4 years to have the best moments of your life…take advantage and take the opportunity…or miss out forever!
