As my first year at the University of Connecticut draws to a close with another semester of education slowly calcifying in my mind, I’ve found myself reflecting on what I would change in my experience and what I’d keep the same. However, I’ve still got three weeks left until I take that last exam, so there’s time to see what I can do with what’s left.
From someone who tried to get the most out of their freshman year, here’s a retrospective and a to-do list for making the most out of the end of this school year.
Take advantage of the weather
We’ve been hit with some strange and confusing weather for these past few weeks, and I truly won’t stand for it. I got hailed on last week while walking back to my dorm in the evening and it was a miserable experience. The weather is hopefully turning back in the right direction, but no one can be sure.
My personal favorite thing to do in this sort of weather is to hang out by Mirror Lake and draw in my sketchbook. It’s not as calming of a view now considering the construction, but there’s tons of places on campus that will capture that same feeling. The lawn outside the Student Union is a good start.
Be spontaneous with your friendships
I was very busy in high school and kept to a schedule that revolved around the committed hours of each week. As a result, I didn’t get out much during the school year. When I started at UConn, I agreed to things more often and ended up making some incredible friends.
School and work are important of course but occasionally giving them a break in favor of driving around with friends is worth pushing a few things to the side. I’ve stayed up later than I should have a few nights simply because I knew hanging out with my friends was a valuable way to spend my time. College is four years long for many people, you can only spend so many of those days with the people you care about.
Meet as many people as you can
Working at The Daily Campus has meant I’ve been spending my year going to various events on campus to meet people and share their voices. The best part of this is that I’ve been able to try out all sorts of different events and meet all sorts of different people who I likely wouldn’t have talked to otherwise.
That being said, go to Lizzie’s Curbside! If I had to pick someone who I had my favorite conversation with for these Daily Campus articles, it would be Lizzie herself. She’s such a kind person and she has the most adorable dog, Melo. If you haven’t met her yet, get out there.
Do things for your friends or organizations without needing a reason
I’m a member of the UConn Marching Band and I hosted an event for my friends in the tuba section back in February to wrap up the marching season. I’ve always wanted to be in those friend groups that always seem to be coming up with cool things to do together. When I realized I could be that friend, it was mind-blowing.
There’s a lot of joy to be found in doing cool things for the people you care about. It can be tough, given the time constraints, but it’s worth it. This is a mentality I want to take with me into my sophomore year: Be enthusiastic about your friendships.
Make things
I like to make art as a hobby but it’s not something I devote a ton of time to, even in college. I had some really high hopes for my creativity when I started at UConn. I no longer had to worry about a job, so I was going to have free time, right? Dreams of finally learning how to program and about starting a comic were shot dead pretty fast when I was faced with the burdens of responsibility.
But I digress. If you have the time, make something. It can be anything. I haven’t had time to learn how to paint, but I’ve been writing articles for The Daily Campus this entire time, all of which have been logged online. For years to come, I will be able to look back on the work I made in my freshman year of college. To me, this is invaluable.
With the school year ending, the idea of suddenly changing how you do things can be a little odd. But I do hope that some of this information is useful for anyone who feels like they could’ve gotten a little more out of this year. It’s never too late to start something new.