LAUREN BARTLETT Publication Chief

When people say that your time in college goes by fast, they are 100 percent right. In the next four years, there will be so many things that happen. Your freshman year will fly by, but you will love every minute of it. You will meet so many people and do new things. Your close group of friends will be some of your best friends, no matter where you all end up.

During sophomore year, soak up every minute. During the year, you may think that this is the worst year because things are so different than freshman year. You may think that this year is going to be terrible, but take a step back and realize that you have some of the best people around you.

This is also the year where you will declare your major. You will have also changed it three times by now. You will meet very intimidating professors and technology you didn’t know existed. You will also earn a spot on the newspaper staff. You don’t know it yet, but this is where your passion for design will all start. So, when you think about quitting, you will be so glad you didn’t. Your junior year will be the most different so far. You will have finally gotten in your groove of your major, and you will also take the hardest classes so far. But, don’t worry, you will get an A in your communication law and ethics class even though you bombed your presentation.

This is also the year where your patience, maturity and self-worth will be tested. There are people you will meet who will affect you emotionally. However, know that in the end, they are not worth all of the trouble. This year you will also meet some of your closest friends. They will be very unexpected, but such a blessing. They will teach you things that you need to know and they will help you through the worst of times. In this year will travel to Germany, Outer Banks, Nashville and Greenville. You will eat delicious food and also celebrate your 21st birthday.

Your senior year will take you by complete surprise. This year you will notice that you are able to handle certain situations differently than you would before. You will also go out more than you had expected to – but, don’t skip your 8 a.m. too much. You will go to concerts, a wonderful beach trip with your family, and later, the best last spring break trip ever.

You will make some of the absolute best memories with your roommate, and you will make unexpected new friends that you will love. You will go on multiple interviews, finish your capstone project (on time) and you will start to really appreciate your hard work. You will start off this year feeling very ready to graduate and get away from Piedmont, but toward the end you will realize how fast your time went by and how much you learned by those around you.

My advice to you would be to slow down, be slow to anger and don’t let other people negatively effect your time here. Life is too short for that. You will learn how to laugh off the small stuff, manage your time, spend less money and you will see that everything happens for a reason. Sincerely, Senior Year Me.