1. Noticing everyone was pretty much in the same boat the day you arrived.
Hope you put your name on your trunk.
2. Eating your first of many meals in a hall that looked like it belonged at Hogwarts.
Minus the magic, sadly.
3. Spending the majority of your classes sitting around a very large table.
'Cause, you know, the Harkness method.
4. And enjoying the occasional outdoor lecture when the weather was nice.
But of course, still in the round.
5. Attending chapel four days a week.
Morning announcements was the ideal time to catch up on sleep, tbh.
6. Hanging out at your teachers' homes on a fairly regular basis.
And seeing them in their pajamas.
7. Discovering there was a club for just about anything at some point or another.
"Uh...where do I sign up?"
8. Wanting to join an a cappella group.
Being in one was pretty much the peak of social coolness.
9. If you were tall, having no choice but to join the crew team.
Athletic skills not really required, just a long pair of legs.
10. Learning that you had a number of "sister schools" to compete against in sports.
Rah rah sis boom bah!
11. Never getting a single snow day. Ever.
Sorry not sorry, kids.
12. Having to go to class on Saturdays.
Given, they were half days (and Wednesdays too), but still...
13. Spending Saturday nights at the Head of School's house playing board games...
"Yay, ~another~ puzzle."
14. ...or coming up with some other means of entertainment in your dorm room.
"This is a good idea, right?"
15. Celebrating arbitrary holidays that literally no one else outside your school understood.
Sure it looks creepy, but it's tradition, dammit!
16. Getting your driver's license a lot later than most American teenagers did.
No cars allowed on campus? No license needed.
17. Missing out on a ~proper~ prom experience (if you had one at all)!
No limos, no hotel rooms...
18. Finding creative hookup spots on campus.
"Shh, I hear someone!"
19. Getting made fun of by "townies" for being nerds.
Not far off from the truth, tbh.
20. Secretly ordering delivery to your dorm at night.
"Tell the Domino's guy to be quiet!"
21. Exercising your creativity when it came to hiding contraband.
"Dude, don't sit on the bed."
22. Discovering it's a lot easier to get up on the roof of the library (or other shenanigans) when it's dark out.
"Quick, campus security just drove by!"
23. Having dormmates who eventually became surrogate siblings.
For life.
24. Stealing cutlery, trays, etc. from the dining hall to keep as mementos.
Everything felt up for grabs.
25. Saying goodbye to your very first home away from home.
It was a good run.
26. Knowing that the mystique of college "campus life" would not be that big a deal to you.
Been there, done that.
27. And finally, looking back at your formative years knowing that life would never be quite the same.
Carpe diem.
