Pieces of BGSU

I have three weeks left of school after today.  These last weeks will be busy, but they will also be my last opportunities to enjoy time with my friends.  They will also be my last chances to enjoy the amenities of residence life.  A few weeks ago, I signed a lease for what will be my first apartment.  I’ll move out of Harshman in May and move into my apartment in June.  I’m excited and sad at the same time.  It occurred to me recently that I have made some great friends during my first year, particularly in my residence hall—crazy, unique, thoughtful friends from all walks of life.  I will miss them living down the hall, or one floor down, or two floors up, from them.  As much as we all complain about residence halls (and I complain as much as anyone), living in Harshman has helped me create great friendships, and I can’t imagine my first year of school without them.
I made the decision to join a learning community so that I could meet people with similar interests.  I think learning communities are awesome ideas.  They take a campus of thousands and create a small, close-knit environment.  I have common classes with many of the students in my learning community, and we all share a space called the “LOFT”, so it has been easy to get to know them.  Everyone greets each other in the stairwells, and if I should ever have a homework question, I don’t have to look far.  Our learning community has some interesting perks—overnight trips, guest speakers, and most recently, its own book—but even outside of the community, I’ve found that life in the residence halls can be nice.  My hall has the unfortunate curse of frequent fire drills, which—I kid you not—happen in threes.  But it more than makes up for it with interesting programs, quirky staff, and really good heat (no air conditioning, but hey, you can’t beat the heat).  Best of all, in my opinion, I can wake up at virtually any hour of the night—two, three, five—and I’ll find one of my friends hanging out in the LOFT.

Most of my friends have arranged to live on campus next year.  A few were lucky enough to snag a spot in the coveted Falcon Heights, a couple are staying in Harshman, and some were hired as RAs.  I feel a tinge of sadness when I think about everyone moving in separate directions, but I realize that’s always going to be a part of college.  I’ll just have to find ways to maintain those friendships.  Fortunately, I go to church with a lot of the girls on my floor, and I can definitely foresee a few classes with my friends (especially the education majors).  And, of course, I will meet new people in my apartment building, in my classes, and everywhere else.  That’s the beauty of Bowling Green.  I met one of my best friends during a rare trip to “Uptown.”  I’ve met more great people at my Wednesday night youth group than I can count.  Wherever I am, for as long as I am a student here, I’ll never be alone.

That said, I won’t worry too much, but I’ll make the most of the next three weeks—trips to the Pub with friends, study groups in the computer lab, whatever I can fit into my schedule.  With this rare, warm weather and some meal plan points to spend, I am quite sure I will enjoy them.