It's incredible how fast four years can fly by.
This is the last column I will ever write for The Spectrum and I have the freedom to write about pretty much anything that strikes my fancy. Heck, if I wasn't afraid of having my tires slashed by some angry, egotistical and self-righteous activists, I could even write another column about my loathing of protestors.
Actually, since my car's currently in the shop, I would like to briefly reiterate my lack of respect for stupid protests, which was only reinforced by the thoughtless and ignorant responses I received after my last column.
Still, I feel more strongly that my last reflective piece for the paper should be used to put into words the closure I'm beginning to feel as I complete my last few days of classes as a senior. Yes, I'm going to write one of those sappy goodbye columns, despite the fact that I won't actually be leaving UB.
As I walked from my apartment in South Lake to the Student Union yesterday the weather was truly picturesque. The green lawn was accented by the cloudless blue sky, a warm breeze blew across the lake and students lounged on the lawns, reading and playing frisbee. Beautiful days always raise my spirits, and for those few moments, despite the fact that my car had just broke down and I was running late, I took the time to appreciate UB and its campus.
My undergraduate career is just a few short weeks from being officially over, and although I technically won't be leaving UB for two more years as I attend graduate school, the completion of my bachelor degree signifies the end of a lot of other things for me as well.
As friends make plans to move away, search for real jobs and start living like adults (a little bit more anyway), it's hard not to feel prematurely reminiscent of the good old days when I was a freshman and the "real world" was still a long way off. Although I know I'm ready to move on, it's hard to come to terms with the fact that this fall, weighed down with classes and work, and 22 years old, I will be all grown up.
Still, my years as an undergraduate have been priceless, and there are in fact a lot of things I owe to the lovely University at Buffalo.
I owe them for giving me a decent education and priceless experiences both in and out of classes. I owe them for the irreplaceable friends I've made and the opportunities I've had to grow as a person.
I also unfortunately owe them about $600 in overdue parking tickets (I call it my expensive parking permit) and $200 in library fines, a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a few late books.
But all in all, fines aside, everything I've experienced here has been worth the time and effort. I feel the same as I did when I arrived, yet I know that I am at the same time an incredibly different person.
At this university amidst the other thousands of students who experience college here every year, it's easy to lose perspective and have what matters to you tangled in the idea of what matters to other students, professors, advisors or the campus community in general.
Life is full of uncertainties and while the past four years have been a blur, it's been a blur that I will never forget.
College teaches you to be independent, responsible and successful. Personally, I've discovered what I want to do with my life in the future, formed relationships that will last forever and come out of my shell to become a strong and conscientious woman.
And while this is more of a reflective piece and by no means an advice column, I would still like to share some final words of wisdom that come with the experience of being a senior.
What I learned during my four years of UB experience: steer clear of foreign professors, frat parties really aren't that cool, and it is possible to get an A on a final paper you wrote at 4 a.m. in about two hours.
In all seriousness though, college is a time to open up, to take risks and to experience new things. Now, as I leave my undergraduate career yet continue on at UB, I am fully prepared to take on whatever life throws my way.
