When we were little kids the days were long and a year seemed like an eternity. As we sat in school we dreamed of hot summer vacation days and balmy nights, wishing they would just hurry and arrive. When in junior high we wished we were in high school and when in high school we wished we were in college. When freshmen in college we lived for the weekends, for that is when the good times were to be had. We couldn't wait to be sophomores and as sophomores we wished we could be juniors. As juniors we wished we could be seniors because that means graduation, freedom, a great paying job, maybe a family and...
...and suddenly you're much much older wondering how you got there. And you know what you sometimes find yourself wishing? You wish you were young again.
The academic year is almost over. For seniors and some graduate students, your time at WPI is coming to a close. Many of you can't wait to get out of here and get on with life. But I ask you to take a moment and ponder what I have to say.
Three, five, maybe ten years from now there's a really good chance you're going to drive through here...maybe even stop and take a walk on campus. There will be a smile on your face and in your heart as you remember "those good old days at WPI." Maybe you'll even wish you could re-live a few of those times.
Thing is, you're still here and you still have the opportunity to enjoy your last weeks as a student. There are a few things you can do now that will slow things down and that will even heighten your memories of WPI. Stop wishing your life a way and work at living in the present by focusing on using your senses and appreciating the world around you. Take leisurely walks on campus taking in the landscape, the buildings, the people, and the place. Say your good-bye's to those professors or staff who helped you out or meant so much to you... the instructor who taught you about challenging yourself, the security officer who gave you a break, the professor who taught you so much, the housekeeper who looked in on you when you felt bad, that staff member who served you that extra helping at meals, the admissions counselor who recruited you and remembered you all these years, the coach who encouraged you, the nurse who called when you were sick, the RA who stayed up all night to talk, or the minister who took you to dinner. Say good-bye to old roommates and friends. Call that kid from freshman year whom you haven't seen since orientation but who made the first weeks of school tolerable. Walk slowly through your first residence hall or your building... remembering and saying good-bye.
Some day you may wish you could be back. But for now, you don't have to wish. You're still here. Time's not up. Enjoy this beautiful campus, this place of higher learning, and all the people that make it so. Good luck these last weeks, and we'll see most of you next year!
With sincere affection,
The staff of West Street House, the Student Development and Counseling Center