Only Two Months to Go: What I’m Looking Forward to as I Near Graduation
By Mahidhar Sai Lakkavaram
Content
It's safe to say that coming to the University of Massachusetts was one of the best experiences of my life. I had my highest of highs and lowest of lows here, but all the connections and memories I’ve made make it all worth it.
If you’re a first-year student reading this, hold onto it, because I promise you, in a snap you’ll become a senior and you won’t even know how it happened.
My first year at UMass Amherst was a peculiar one. The COVID-19 pandemic had just kicked in, so my entire first year was pretty much just zoom meetings and panicked emails. Add living in India and the different time zones, you can see how it was a pretty messy situation (though I kind of miss living with my parents, just a little bit).
Fast forward three years and here I am, only two months away from graduation and walking around this campus trying to take a snapshot of every memory that I can before it all ends.
Since my first year was so chaotic, I didn’t really have an idea of what to expect from my time at UMass. I knew I couldn't base everything off of those two very strange semesters, so it was hard for me to gauge where I stood with my feelings and how I felt about my time and experience here.
So, with graduation looming over my head, there’s so many things I’m looking forward to as we near the end of this journey.
Taking it all in
I’m pretty sure that I’m not coming back to Western Massachusetts for a while (love it here, but I’m a big city person) so I didn’t realize until now how final some of the simplest things I do at UMass are. From the sunsets over the campus pond to the Gold n Spicy from the Grill at Blue Wall, these are probably the last few times I can see/do such things, so really acknowledging that and taking it in before the graduation buzz hits is something I’m trying to do.
Making time for myself
Anyone who’s met me knows that I’m always going at a million miles per hour, speeding from one place to another. I promised myself that I’d make more time for myself and to spend time just living in the moment, as cheesy as it sounds. I’m always trying to get one thing done and moving on to the other, but taking a second to focus on myself and think about what I want to do, especially with how I might not get the chance to do that at UMass later, is something I’m trying to practice as well. I
I’ve been convincing myself that things will get done and it's okay for me to take a break and just focus on enjoying the time that I have, whether that’s just sitting at one of the cafes and talking to my friends or trying out more recipes.
Spending time with friends!
I’ve spent the last three to four years with these people, so now that I might not see them for a while after graduation really freaks me out! I’ve made some incredible friends at UMass, and I want to make the most of that while we’re still here. Some of my closest friends have already locked into graduate schools all the way across the country, so I'm definitely prioritizing them and just doing random things before we all graduate.
Completing my bucket list
I have a pretty random bucket list of things I want to do before I graduate. From going on a campus tour (never did one) to seeing how long I can keep one of two tables near the outlets at Terrace, I really want to finish my bucket list and make time for doing all of those. If not now, then when?
Creating as many memories as I can—one last time!
As sappy as it sounds, I really do want to hold on as many memories as I can. You’re only an undergraduate once and before I enter the corporate nine to five world for pretty much the rest of my life, I want to cherish everything and everyone here and make as many memories as I can.
So that’s what’s been on my mind as I near graduation! Don’t get me wrong, I’m so looking forward to not having to stress about classes and exams and all that jazz, but I’m still going to miss being a college student and just doing random things for fun and meeting all these amazing people.