Words of Wisdom

By: Michelle Anstett
Editor-in-chief

“Life comes at you fast” is the catchphrase for a national insurance company’s recent advertising campaign, most notably seen in a commercial featuring Fabio. The company’s purpose in reminding us of the expedient nature of life is to get us to panic and purchase a (most likely) overpriced insurance package. However, I think the phrase can apply to the life of a college student.

A couple of weekends ago, I co-led a new student orientation group, and I hung around by the Monmouth College sign and observed the Matriculation Ceremony. A few realizations hit me in the time I was watching a new group of freshmen begin life here at Monmouth.

First, I realized that summer was officially over, and I was facing a year full of reading assignments, essays and late nights. Next, I thought about how this would be the last time I would observe this tradition as a student. Three years ago, I was a part of the ceremony, sitting in the front row, listening to President Giese tell us to make the best of our four years as Monmouth students.

The next time I will see a Monmouth ceremony, it will be my Commencement. The first time I was out on Wallace Lawn, I knew basically no one. The professors’ hands I shook were strangers to me, and I spent most of the time I was in line worrying about whether anyone had sneezed recently or licked his hand as the snotty kid on the other team used to do in grade school soccer.

Each school year, with its mountains of work and overscheduled weeks, goes by incredibly quickly. Your four years here, when the questions from people at home change from “What’s your major?” to “What do you plan to do once you graduate?” go even more quickly.

Enjoy them. Learn a lot. Take some time to watch a movie with your friends on a weeknight. That way, when the “It’s my senior year… What now?” realization hits, you’ll have more to remember than how many pages you read or essays you wrote.