Friends, faculty, staff: welcome back to a new year at Furman University (the best private liberal arts university this side of Poinsett Highway!) As I sit in Trone writing this article—two weeks into the school year, several days past my editor’s deadline—it occurs to me that I have suddenly become a senior. I know everyone says this, especially at Furman, but I truly have no idea how this happened. It’s true what people say: time flies when you’re attending an extremely nice university in Greenville, South Carolina.
I recall freshman move-in day as if it happened last week. Firstly, I remember that Claire (my older sister, who is both better-looking and more personable than me) was helping my dad move me in. I didn’t know anybody and I hadn’t been assigned a roommate, so the girls on my hall kept walking in and assuming that Claire was their cool new hallmate. (Think again, folks!) I also remember how unsure I was about Furman, how alone I felt in that room once Claire hugged me goodbye and drove back to Atlanta with our dad. To be standing on the other side of that day three years later—older, cuter, and (somewhat) wiser—is both wonderful and disorienting. (Hey, one non-sequitur that has been on my mind: 2020 is the only remaining class on campus who voted in 2016. Am I the only one who finds this weird? Is this what old age feels like?)
Furman has treated me better than I ever imagined, so it’s hard to wrap my head around the gravity of this final year. I’m equal parts excited and scared. While I have a lot to look forward to (games, outings, events), I’m pretty nervous, too—nervous about my senior art show, nervous about applying to grad schools over the next several months, nervous about graduating in the spring and flinging myself into the fray of real life. Not to mention the fact that my senior friends and I need to adopt some underclassmen to hang out with, lest we fade into irrelevance. (To that end, which of you underclassmen would like to be friends? If you’re reading this, email me your resume.)
With my newfound senior status, I will close with a piece of wisdom to all of the bright-eyed Furman freshman: go crazy! Or don’t. You’re in college now and can do whatever you want. (If you’re like freshman-me, you’ll spend many nights alone in your bed, listening to the same song on repeat for several hours before falling asleep by ten o’clock. I do not recommend this.) All jokes aside: everyone’s life at Furman looks different, and freshmen and seniors alike can make their own way during their time here. As for me, I’m excited to finish the last of my Furman experience with a bang.