As a senior, it hits differently when you realize the “lasts” are happening. The last gameday, the last class, the last break before real life officially begins. It’s like someone just pushed a fast forward button.
The Last Gameday
Gamedays in college are something special. There’s the excitement, the energy, the cheers from the crowd—it’s hard to explain if you haven’t been a part of it. But when you’re walking across campus for what you know will be your last tailgate, your last game on that field, the whole thing feels a little more bittersweet. I’ll never forget my first game here, all excited. And now, that same field holds memories that’ll last a lifetime. Watching the seniors in my first year, I never thought I’d be the one looking back. But here I am. The last gameday feels like the final chapter of a book you don’t want to end.
The Last Class
Then there’s the last class. The one where you sit in the back, trying to take in every word because you know you won’t get this experience again. I won’t lie—some days I dreaded waking up for that 9 a.m. lecture. But now that it’s almost over, I’ve realized how much I’ll miss the routine. Every class I walk into now is a reminder that this part of my life is almost done, and that’s both exciting and terrifying.
The Last Break
And don’t get me started on the last breaks. I remember the first break I had in college, feeling like I could finally breathe and take a step back from all the chaos. Now, every break feels like a little vacation from responsibility, but also a sign that time is ticking away faster than I’d like. It’s strange how something as simple as a break can hold so much weight when you know it’s your last one. That extra sleep, the lazy mornings, the time to hang out with friends—it all hits differently when you realize you won’t have as much of that in the real world when you start your first ever full-time job.
In some ways, I’m ready for the next chapter. But in other ways, I want to hold onto these moments a little longer. The last gameday, the last class, the last break—they all symbolize the end of a chapter in a book I didn’t want to finish. But maybe that’s what makes these “lasts” so important: they remind me of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned along the way.
Just don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.
