Goodbye Deerfield, Hello College

Well, the time has finally arrived. Monday was my last day to spend in this place I call home. Soon I will have a new home.

After spending most of my life living in Deerfield, it is time for my peers and me to depart on a life changing journey. On this journey, some of us will meet our future spouses, many will spend time studying abroad and I even bet that at least one of us will help change the world. 

Ever since I can remember, I had been told about the importance of grades and test scores. The time has arrived where my actions both in and outside of the classroom have determined where the next four years of my life will be spent.  

It is amazing how quickly those years passed. I will never attend another a single day of high school. No more will I be going to Wilmot Mountain on snow days, compete for Deerfield’s track team or get called out of school for a “doctor’s appointment.”

Academics and athletics are now an entire new level, one in which I can only hope that my Deerfield experiences have prepared me well.

I know there will be an abundance of drugs and alcohol, where I will have to choose between right and wrong. I’m entering the real world, where I am personally responsible for every action I take, where I am able to vote for the next President of the United States, where I will make my own decisions (and my lunch) and where I must work harder than ever to achieve my goals and the great future that everyone hopes for.

College is fast approaching, even started for many, and everything as I know it is about to change.

"Are you excited for college?"

I honestly don't think I've been asked any question more times in my life than I have this one.  The excitement really didn't hit me until a few weeks ago when I received an email from Dartmouth College with my roommate information.

Since that time, the two of us have spent countless hours talking, Skyping, texting, and learning a lot about each other. We were put together by the school, and luckily we have a surprising amount in common.

It was at that time, when I was talking to the person that I will be living with for the next nine months, that I actually started getting really excited about college.

It hit me....I'm beginning the next step of my life, and it all started with talking to one of many people who I will probably (and hopefully) be friends with for the rest of my life.

One difficult part of leaving for college is saying goodbye to my best friends, my piano teacher and my family, knowing that I won't see them until Thanksgiving. While I think about all the new friends I am going to make, I know that I am going to miss my closest friends from high school.  The phrase, "you don't realize what you have until it's gone," truly applies here.  

So long, Deerfield—I look forward to the next chapter of my life, making lifelong friends, challenging myself every day, creating unforgettable memories, and experiencing what I am told will be the best time of my life.

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