This week reminded me of how much I love college. The nice weather really shows how great it is to have a campus to lounge around on. This week I have enjoyed my walks in the Academic Quad more than ever. I am sure you all know what I am talking about. What I love is the students lying out on the grass having a good time and enjoying their youth. There are a variety of things going on. Friends are talking and catching up with each other. Some are doing homework in the sunny weather. Homework is certainly made more enjoyable. Others are playing games such as football or frisbee. The more musically inclined students are playing their instruments. I saw a medley of different instruments such as the guitar and violin. There is a common bond that brings all of these people together. They are young college students reveling in their years at West Chester University.
Being a senior, this sight gives me a sense of nostalgia. I remembered as a freshman I was blown away with how many people were just relaxing on the grass. To a younger me, it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. To me it exemplified what college was about. It was a time to experiment and live life; no time was better to expand your social horizons. I felt those few minutes spent on the Quad every day were the most memorable times of my college career. Not because anything especially memorable happened, but whenever I think of college the image of students on the Quad in the beginning of spring will spring (pun not intended) into my mind.
This nostalgic feeling does not make me sad anymore. In the beginning of my senior year I was always a little depressed when I thought of the great times I had in college. This was because they may be the best times of my life, and they are behind me now. I held on to that nostalgia because I was scared of the future. Now I have accepted that those great times in college are now memories, cherished memories, but memories none the less. They will always be with me, even as I gear up for a life after college.
~Jack Barnett
Op-Ed Editor
The Quad