During Snowpocalypse 2012, I remember telling Veronica just how excited I was over the possibility of snow days. When classes get cancelled due to unexpected circumstances, I am ecstatic. After I went on and on about how I much I couldn’t wait for the snow to eat up our campus, Veronica said to me, “…but we only have so many class days left!”

I’m sorry? Are we not on the same page here?

It’s been a few weeks since the snow days, but I haven’t forgotten about this conversation because Veronica was right. I’m not really going to miss the classes, but I am going to miss that entire college experience. If you think about it, four months isn’t a long time. It’s going to fly by. As I went about my day yesterday, this conversation kept coming back to me. Yesterday, I worked out of the bistro while getting a view of Mt. Rainier from the window and I haven’t done that in two years! It’s one of the prettiest sights seen from campus. It’s also the same kind of sight that brings my productivity level down to 27%. Mt. Rainier is pretty. It takes precedence over everything else. I also realized that I walk so fast that I am practically running into people all of the time and never catching my breath in time to say “Excuse me.” What I should be doing is taking it all in – walking slower and saying hi to the friends I see along the way. If that makes me late to my meetings and classes by three minutes – then so be it. There is no reason for me to be walking that fast.

For the past few months, I’ve been itching to get to the next chapter and skipping those pages just like I do with my own text books. When I was a kid, before blogs even existed – I loved to read books. I never missed a page; not even in Harry Potter. If my time in college has meant anything to me, I need to force myself to stop skipping. I’m not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but if you’ve been feeling like you’re missing a little bit of “life” right now, here are some steps I made up while I was in class.

• Eat on campus. Every once in awhile (or maybe more than once,) it feels GOOD to have others prepare a meal for you that you probably couldn’t make on your own.

• Read a book that’s not a text book.
• Attend an on-campus event. I can’t say the same for other universities, but we at Seattle University are so lucky to have the kinds of events brought on campus for us. When I look back on my college experience, I am always  going to remember the performances that I’ve seen, the speakers that I’ve heard, the resources that I utilized, and everything I’ve learned when I was taken out of a classroom setting.
• Attend a sporting event. It’s not really my thing, but I did it because it’s part of the whole experience. Max tried to convince me to go to a basketball game with him because I never have, but I felt okay declining because I have been to a softball game and plenty of swim meets.
• Share a meal. Life is busy. You naturally grow apart from your friends, but everyone has to eat. Kill two birds with one stone and satisfy your stomach while catching up with a friend.
• Sit down with your favorite professor. I’ve had my fair share of professors that I connected with and those that I didn’t connect with. Truth – professors (all of them – and I mean this) don’t get enough credit. Some students believe for whatever reason that because they pay to go to a university, they can treat professors anyway they want. Don’t be that student. They are human. Go to their office hours and get to know them – they have more in common with you than you may think.
• Study at your favorite place from freshman year. Just because.
• Partake in a school tradition.
• Start to care less about gossip and care more about people.
• Celebrate birthdays. I recently missed out on a birthday for a dear friend of mine and I feel awful about it still. Your presence, alone, makes a huge difference. I vow from now until I graduate that I will at least make an appearance at all of my friend’s birthdays no matter what.
• Don’t be a competitive douche. With the finish line in sight, people right now are antsy. They’re nosy and they want to know what you’re doing after graduation. In management terminology, I see this as being similar to the equity theory – when one person compares their level of work and experience with others. Approach one: You take the high road. You give some polite answer and you don’t let them intimidate you one bit. Your kindness and warm smile will make them so uncomfortable that it will make them doubt themselves. Just act like you’re not stressing about anything, even if you are. Approach two: Lie. Make up some ridiculous story about what you’re doing and then leave them hangin’. That’ll show them. Nothing gets to you.

Congratulations seniors! You’ve almost made it. Personally, I never saw this time coming – even when I was in high school, but I’m here! These are our last four months. Make these four months count and make it all about you. You deserve happiness. You deserve success and the pursuit of your goals. (I could be a motivational speaker someday.) But here’s the thing: If you’re not graduating early, then there is no reason to race to that finish line. It’s coming anyways so just walk to it and know that everyone is trying to get there with you at the same time.