More memories...

In talking with my friends, as well as prospective students that come for tours and overnight visits and events like that, I have discovered that for the most part there are two kinds of high school seniors- those that are really excited about leaving for college and would go the next day if you let them, and those that are nervous and scared and not sure what to expect. You may fall on either extreme (or somewhere in between), and that's ok. Everybody goes through it a little differently.

I remember around this time of my senior year of high school when I just couldn't wait to leave home and go to college. I didn't necessarily know what to expect, but I just knew it had to be awesome. All I talked about was how I couldn't wait to get out of Berne and start figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. (I still don't know, by the way, but I'm getting closer.) I was getting restless and I was ready to figure out if I could handle college.

Graduation came and went, and then it was just my summer job standing in the way of me leaving. At the time I was working as a manager at a local drive-in restaurant. It was an ok job, but I remember counting down the days til I was done and out of there. It could not come fast enough.

And then, it came. The night before move-in day. A few guys from my high school were going to Bluffton with me and we all decided to hang out together that night. I could hardly contain my excitement, and I remember talking for hours about what we would do and how we would all have such amazing experiences. (We also watched "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which I thought was a dumb movie, but that's a whole different story.) I had a feeling I wouldn't fall asleep easily that night because of all the excitement. Turns out I was right, but for a different reason.

You see, I am, and always have been, a last minute kind of guy. By the time I got home around 2:00 a.m., I realized that I still hadn't packed. This posed a problem since we were all going to caravan together at 8:00 a.m. As you can imagine, I was up pretty late. And it was in that time that I all of a sudden felt something in regards to college that I hadn't known before- fear.

I don't know if it suddenly hit me or what, but all of a sudden I was terrified. What if classes were too hard? Would I make any friends outside of the few Berne friends that were also going? What if I just didn't fit in?

I remember the first weekend pretty well. After moving in, there were several activities for all the first year students to participate it. At times it was fun, at times it was just long, and I remember it being in the upper 90s the entire time. But somewhere in that time I think I realized that I was going to be ok.

It's amazing how soon Bluffton began to feel like home. Within the first couple weeks I had my routine figured out, made some new friends from my floor, and realized that college classes weren't going to be the end of me. I was starting to realize what it meant to be a college student, and I was loving every minute of it.

So anyway, I guess the point of this long, random story is that no matter what stage you're at right now- excitement, terror, nervousness, unsuredness (if that's a word)- you'll be ok. I went through a range of emotions by the time I got here, and I think that's normal. Just enjoy where you are right now, even though it can be hard sometimes. I'm going through a similar situation right now in which I can't wait to get out into the real world and see if I can make it working a full time job, paying bills, living in my own apartment, etc. But I know soon enough I'm going to miss this place that I couldn't wait to get to.

That's all I have for you tonight. Until next time,

Scott

Top picture= All of the Berne boys that were going to Bluffton on our last day of high school-Tyler, Andi, Kyle, Eric, and myself

Bottom picture= High School graduation day with a friend from high school