Leaving the house I grew up in

One student’s reflections on the university experience
By Sam Colbert
HAMILTON (CUP) — I’m writing this at my desk in my bedroom. I’m surrounded by badly packed boxes, filled with stuff that’s either been deemed useful or that I’m too nostalgic to throw away. The walls are blank, and the closet is empty.
I’m moving out of my house tomorrow. It’s the house I lived in during my fourth year at university. My new place suits a more grown-up lifestyle. We’ve got decorations on the mantle, cable TV and a living room and dining room being used for their intended purposes. It’s nicer than the single-family home stuffed with six guys where I live now. I’m sure I’ll look back and be glad to have moved. But today, I’m bummed out.
I didn’t feel like this when I finished classes for good in April, or even on my graduation day. Back in first year, I thought I would. But I eventually realized that you don’t think of your time here as passing neatly in semesters, or even in years.
During your undergrad you’ll make friends. And then you’ll make new friends, losing touch with those original friends. You’ll start dating someone. And then you’ll break up. You’ll try new things. And then you’ll try other things that you’ll wish you hadn’t. You’ll get anxious, or even depressed, sometimes for months straight. And then you’ll feel better.
That’s the stuff you’ll remember. That’s the really formative stuff.
I’m going to remember this house. And I’ll remember the way I changed both because of it and because of the people who lived here.
To be honest, my own Welcome Week four years ago didn’t really do it for me. And if you don’t get much out of it either, that’s okay. It’s as much for the excited upper-years in jumpsuits as it is for the first-years anyway.
But, like it or not, you’re probably going to find some stuff here that you really care about. So don’t be shy about it. Instead, be optimistic. Be sincere. Be kind. And be patient when things don’t go your way.
Whatever it is, it’s going to cause you a bit of grief, but whether it’s a student house or a soul mate or a field of study or your school newspaper, it’s probably worth it.