Saturday, May 8, 2010

Two years later

(Originally written on May 8, 2010)

I still remember the first time I set foot on the campus of Hillsdale College. It was a chilly but sunny morning in early October 2004. I didn’t know much about the college until earlier that summer, when my dad found a copy of Imprimis, a monthly speech digest published by the college, that someone had left behind at the church where he is a custodian. Some say it may have been fate, but I’m sure that God had a hand in it. After looking at that, I became interested in the college, learned as much as I could, and planned a visit. I was excited because I had been out of high school for over a year, taking classes at Kellogg Community College because I had no idea what else to do. I thought maybe things were starting to fall into place.

However, the visit didn’t go as well as I was expecting. I never doubted that it is a great college, and everyone I encountered was kind and helpful. But I didn’t think I belonged there. I sat in on two classes and was honestly a little intimidated. I learned about the impressive accomplishments of many students and didn’t think I measured up well. The class descriptions were interesting, yet they also seemed way too demanding. It didn’t seem like I would fit. I thought I would never return.

I took a few weeks to really think about it. I continued to look at other schools, as I had been for a few years, but nothing stood out. I kept going back to my Hillsdale brochures. I continued to have this feeling that I should apply, and it just wouldn’t go away. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. Sure enough, I got my acceptance letter the last week of December. I never applied anywhere else. Before I knew it, August was here, and I was moving into the dorm.

This was just one of many scenes that I replayed in my head while I was visiting campus on Friday. It’s amazing how fast time goes. I just couldn’t believe that I have not only graduated, but that two full years have now passed. I spent all day Friday hanging out with my roommate from my final year, David, and another good friend, Ted. We also spent time catching up with our housekeeper, Rosie, who was like a mother to us while we lived in the dorm. I didn’t get to see as many people as I wanted to, but it was still a great and memorable time. I visited a couple of times last year, but this was the first time that I returned and really felt as if I had left for good. (Look through my past notes if you want to read my reaction to my visit from last year.)

We spent a good part of the day walking around campus. Just taking the time to look around brought back so many memories. Some of them were bad (I’m mainly referring to the times I had to cram for tests or rush to finish assignments), but there were many good ones as well. David, Ted, and I spent a lot of time reminiscing, not just about the most memorable times, but also our day-to-day lives while we were students. We had walked by the dorms, the classroom buildings, and the student centers several times a day, and seeing them again after a year away made me remember what it felt like to be a student again, at least for a few hours. It was a cool, cloudy day, and there weren’t very many people around. It was a powerful, somewhat eerie feeling.

We also spent some time in the Niedfeldt dorm. It was kind of strange to see mostly people I had never met lounging around and living in the building. I’m definitely glad to see that others are making good use of it, but I couldn’t help but remember all the times studying, making late night snacks, or playing Texas Hold ’Em in the lobby. I kept thinking to myself, this was my home. And the guys from the dorm were like my family. It was almost as if I could sense the ghosts from all those times past still living there. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of the memories.

Unfortunately, I have no idea when all of us will get to meet up again. As it is, I was disappointed that for various reasons, many friends were unable to be there this time, at least while I was there. We spent every day together, went through so much, and became really close. Now, because of where each of our separate lives have taken us, we’re lucky if we get to even spend a few hours together once a year. It doesn’t seem right. But that’s how life is. Thankfully, there is Facebook and other ways to communicate, but it’s not the same. I don’t miss the studying and all the other obligations, but I miss the good times.

Hillsdale College is such a great school. It has its flaws, as does anywhere, but I learned so much, matured, and became a better person because of the time that I spent there. It was a perfect fit for me, and I cannot imagine ever being anywhere else. I hope that the college continues to do the great work it is doing for many years, but I also hope that in the future I will be able to do a better job of keeping up with the people I met while I was there. A good education is truly valuable, but good friends are even more difficult to find.

Thanks everyone!