Full Staff Opinion
There are many seniors who go into their senior year and even their second semester with the opinion that they should slow down and “do less” with the rest of the their time at F&M. I think that this practice, theory, and ideology is one that does not maximize the rest of their time at this wonderful institution in the penultimate and ultimate periods of their college careers.
This may sound cliche, but we only have four years in our undergraduate education (at least on average at F&M). This means that after that, one won’t get to indulge in the academic setting, extra-curricular activities, or social scene of our vibrant campus. Though this may branch into the logic of FOMO (fear of missing out), there is a really important, critical point here. What reason is there to decelerate right before the end of our careers at F&M?
Many subscribe to the originally mentioned ideology because they want to indulge in social activities over other commitments their last semester. While this is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, unless one is going to over do it and provide no commitment to non-social activities, there is little reason to think that one as a senior or even an upperclassmen could make the necessary accommodations to prioritize a social life. At this point in our careers as F&M students, and as college students on a more general, one ought to be able to assume they can prioritize properly and be efficient in order to achieve whatever goals they may, especially something as transient as a movable social life.
Also inherent in the logic of decelerating before graduation is the assumption that many college experiences are unique to this age, or this place. Many activities, especially those of the social variety will still exist even after we graduate. After we graduate, the number of social activities, people to socialize with, and places to go and see only become greater in number and more diverse in type. While it is perspicuous that one may want to be more social their senior year, let’s not pretend that this is the end of one’s opportunities to have fun in their 20s or even later.
One of the most critical reasons why one shouldn’t slow down in the sunset of their undergraduate career at F&M is that one will never have as much influence or be as connected to the campus as one is right now. If one is going to leave a lasting impact on the F&M campus and Lancaster community, now is the time.
If anything, the final year and final semester in our time at F&M is the right time to put the pedal to the metal because we have so little time left here.