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As a second semester senior, Im sure some people would anticipate todays article to be about my mixed feelings upon coming to the end of my college career, the final semester, the last first day. I mean, we are heading towards a pretty important milestone, and spring 2007 feels a lot like sliding right into home plate. So I could write about all those feelings of excitement about the next step, anxiety about my ability to succeed in the world, fears of failure.

But Im not going to write about all that. Im not going to write about all that because there is plenty of time to worry and plan and stress and think about the future. In fact, I have the rest of my life for that. The second I graduate, it seems as though that may be all there will be to think about. There is something a little bit scary about confronting ones future, something that makes me want to rewind to fall 2003 when I first came here to Brandeis and moved into Shapiro 2b. So Im not going to write about whats happening next, because were not quite there yet. All of my friends who have already graduated tell me to enjoy these days while they last. Thats not to say that they arent happy in their post-undergrad lives, but they all seem to miss college in some ways. So instead of starting off my final semester of college with looking towards the future, Im going to write about all the things Ill miss.

Lets face it. College life is pretty cushy. I am going to miss those class schedules where either I get to sleep late, or where my academic day ends by early afternoon. No matter how much work you may have at any given time, there is always plenty of time for everything else- days are often wide open for having lunch with friends, going to the gym, watching a movie, or just plain doing nothing. Soon enough, free time will be in the form of a thirty minute lunch break when Ill most likely be IMing my boyfriend in a desperate attempt to feel like Im not totally out of the college loop.

Im going to miss having all of my meals catered to me, courtesy of the Boulevard and the people who make the sushi at the C-store. It is pretty nice not having to go grocery shopping or wash dishes. I dont think that many markets or restaurants out there are going to accept meals or points, so having to actually whip out some money when I want to eat is going to be an adjustment. No more of those plastic wrapped spicy tuna rolls, or any C-store shopping sprees for that matter.

I am going to miss living in a place where friends are never more than a short walk away, if not right next door. Lots of people begin college and are thrilled at the summer camp-type feel- the opportunity for sleepovers and late night talks every night. After nearly four years, Ive become accustomed to this way of living, where it is so easy to stop by your friends room and head up the hill for some 10 oclock Ben and Jerrys whenever you feel like it. Hey, ice cream is a food group in college and you dont have to go to bed until three. My boyfriend is only a few minutes away, so we can see each other whenever we want, for however long we want. There arent many restrictions, and come June, there might be. Restrictions? Ew.

There are also lots of little, seemingly insignificant things about college that I will miss. I am going to miss watching the tours go by at lunchtime, trying to remember what it felt like to be one of those timid faces. I am going to miss the excitement of finding out what the soups of the day are (sadly, I am not kidding on that one. The soup of the day thrills me). I think Ill miss the feeling of satisfaction when I get a good grade on a paper I thought I had bombed. Ill miss an inbox full of Brandeis related e-mail, even though I dont read half of them. Ill miss the gummy bears from the C-store, and I might even miss trying to come up with a semi-relatable topic for my Hoot article every few weeks.

Of course there is probably some aspect of college life that I wont be longing to return to for everything I will. In many ways, I am more than ready to get going and hang that diploma on my wall (I have the empty frame all ready for it). But for now, I am going to enjoy these final few months, and try not to think too much about what will come after May 20th. Whatever it is, I am confident that itll be fulfilling and that I will be happy, due in great part to my four years here. So for now, I am going to enjoy the gummy bears and watch the tours go by.