Opinion

Where’s the party at?

A rough case of senior-itis

By Jennifer Gundersen

Posted on Feb. 27, 2003, at 12:00 a.m.

A year ago I would not have imagined that I would be excited to graduate from the University of Maine. The thought used to terrify me. Now, I am not only excited to graduate, but I am actually dying to don my cap and gown and pose for pictures with my grandparents.

The question is: What caused my change of heart? When did I go from being a fun-loving college coed to a tired, old senior who spends her free time crossing off days on her calendar?

The constant stream of term papers, multiple choice exams and all-night study sessions have squashed my will to live. These are obvious reasons, but I think there is something more.

What I realized, at some point during my senioritis-induced haze, is that I am ready to graduate because it is tough being an undergraduate. I am just too old to keep up.

Looking back on my days as a freshman and sophomore makes me shudder. I did have fun at the time, but it seems like a lot of work in retrospect. Not in the academic sense, it was more socially draining.

These days my Saturdays consist of getting up, well, whenever I feel like it. I lounge around with my roommates all day watching movies in our pajamas. Occasionally, fresh pancakes or cookies are in order, but usually those aren’t even worth the effort.

Why I ever bothered getting up and ready for the socially-expected Saturday brunch at Stewart Commons is beyond me. Forget that the food sucks. The simple fact that you have to get ready to go out in your pajamas is mind numbingly insane to me now. If you lived on campus, you know the drill. Everyone is dressed in their pjs or sweat pants, but no one actually looks like they just fell out of bed after a night of partying. How does this happen? Careful preparation.

It doesn’t stop after lunch either. A quick trip to the mall or a friend’s room may be in store before making the all-important decision of the day: “What are we going to do tonight?”

This is not as easy as it sounds. First you must compile a list of all parties that evening, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each. Then, you have to get in contact with the most revered person in your residence hall — the guy that is over 21. This may not all seem too difficult, but thinking back to those days in the not-so-distant past, all I can think is “what a headache.”

These days, my Saturday afternoons consist of deciding if I am going to shower or not and whether I even have the strength to go out.

When I turned 21, I thought things would be great. If you can’t find a party, go to a bar. There is no need to deal with a middle man. Well, reality struck pretty quick for me and many of my friends. Being 21 is damn near being elderly in college years, and 22 is even worse. I’m surprised I’m not bedridden.

To many of you, the recent behavior of my roommates and I may seem lazy. Really, the fact is that our days are numbered. We have the rest of our lives to fill our weekends with activities and, God forbid, home improvement projects. So, I guess what we are looking for is a whole lot of down time before that begins.

So, to all the freshman and sophomores out there, have fun at the party this weekend. If you need to reach me, I’ll be at home.

Jennifer Gundersen may never recover from her case of senioritis.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 27th, 2003, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.