It is hard to fathom that this summer will be my LAST summer before I get hit with a reality check - AKA college. Recently I have been using the word “last” to label virtually everything that I do: last first day, last football game, last homecoming dance, and last semester in a school system I entered at age 4. Although I am not much for drama, I have this indescribable yearning to express some sentimentality for all these events, insignificant or significant, solely because I am a senior. It is almost like I have caught a rare strain of senioritis. Does anyone else feel this way??
Senior year should not be a time for figurative diseases, but a time for jubilation and celebration. Although these “last” realizations are true, I do not need to say this about my favorite three months of the year. Yes, this is technically my last summer before college, but it is also my first summer as a college student. I know that there is something wrong with thinking about strawberry smoothies and beach trips when it is below freezing outside. But like first semester, this second semester will fly by in a flash so I took some time to ponder summer 2016.
May 28th: Last day of school (whoops, said “last” again). It will probably be the most bittersweet day of my life; however, I have decided that this day is going to be more sweet than bitter. I will have almost a full month of more relaxation than usual which is awesome. And on top of that I will have no summer homework for the first time since kindergarten. I am already ecstatic for this abundance of free time, which has been nonexistent in high school. How am I going to take advantage of this opportunity?
Now, I do not have to worry about reading a 500 page book, studying for SAT’s, and writing an overwhelming number of college essays. With all these burdens off my shoulders, I intend to explore more about myself. Now that I can vote and the 2016 election is looming, it is the perfect time to figure out where I fall on the political spectrum. Now that I can drive, it is the perfect time to go on spontaneous adventures, ideally rocking out to Taylor Swift and drinking Del’s frozen lemonade. Now that I can work, it is the perfect time to dive into the real world, uncover new interests, and earn money to fund more spontaneous adventures. Now that I am going to Tufts University, it is the perfect time to find my inner Jumbo. Let's make summer 2016 a great one.