I certainly do.
A feeling of "college nostalgia" has come over me of late, and I'm trying to figure out why. I graduated close to 8 years ago.
The last 2 or 3 years have been quite eventful to say the least. I bought a new car, got married, traveled on a plane for the first time, and purchased a condo that my wife and I recently moved into.
If there's so much going on, why can't I help but reflect on my college years?
I think most of us would agree that life was a whole lot simpler back when we were in college. Our main priority was studying to get good grades in hopes of landing a good job upon graduation.
That's not to say we didn't work while going to school (I worked part-time), but we probably didn't have as many bills to pay and, for most of us, marriage and children didn't pop up on our radar screen until after we received that diploma. Hence, having less responsibility was certainly a huge plus.
I miss the flexibility that college afforded us. We were able to set our own schedules and come and go as we pleased. We could show up in t-shirts and flip flops -- something our employers would never tolerate. If we wanted to miss class, we could do so without the fear of being kicked out or fired. Now we have no choice but to stay in a cubicle for some 8 hours each day and interact with people we may not particularly like.
I also miss being stimulated intellectually. I was always a highly driven student, the kind who wouldn't settle for a B. In Corporate America, all you can expect are countless meetings, endless paperwork, petty politicking, and bureaucratic bloat -- hardly mind-enriching, right?
Those days were so much more laid back, and I just felt more connected with everyone -- people on campus as well as those I didn't go to school with. Since then, many of my closest friends and family members have either moved, had children, or broken contact with me.
The only way to try to relive those days is by either sorting through pictures or playing songs from that golden era on my iPod -- both of which I've done of late.
It's always easier to appreciate something once it's in the past -- or once you no longer have it. ("You don't know what you have until you lose it.") If someone had told me that college would be the best time of my life, I would have made a concerted effort to meet more people and be more active on campus.
Truthfully, once graduation loomed ahead, I was itching to transition into "the real world" and make money. That is certainly one thing I can appreciate about the present -- being more financially secure. However, it's easy to see how you can slip into a routine post-college: Work every day from 9-5, wash clothes, cook, pay bills. Rinse. Repeat.
College was different. You stumbled upon different people and situations on an almost-daily basis. You didn't know what the future held. The possibilities were endless. Variety -- and the unknown -- made life far more interesting.
Don't get me wrong: There's a lot to be said for a structured, predictable life. As we get older, our priorities evolve with us. Once you get married and/or have kids, getting drunk at a pub every Friday night no longer has the same appeal.
Still, we need to find ways to keep our lives interesting. I've noticed I can do just that by always having something in mind to do or accomplish in the near future -- whether it's visit Mount Rushmore, read 5 books in a month, or lose 20 pounds.
Let's face it: College is undeniably a magical time in our lives. It marks our entry into young adulthood. Many of us start dating or enter serious relationships (as I did with my now-wife) around that time. What's more, it's when people usually get their first professional jobs, whether full time or part time.
If you know anyone who's in college as we speak -- whether it's a friend, relative, or colleague -- tell him or her to treasure that time while it lasts. I know that if I had the option to remain a college student my whole life and get paid for it, I would jump at the opportunity.
If you went to college, do you reminisce about those days? Why do you think people feel these pangs of college nostalgia?
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