Farewell...

Hi! Well, the time has come for my final blog posting. I graduate in three days from a wonderful place and I can't believe my time at Bluffton University is about to be complete. I know that I will always have support and a great community here, though, so I just know that's it's not goodbye, even though I will never actually live here again. For my final blog, I would like to leave you with a little advice from my own college career. You surely do not have to take it, but these are the things that provided such an amazing experience for me these past four years.

Get involved - being involved in campus activities has helped me to meet so many people and have an awesome social life. In having things to do outside of the class work, I have learned a lot about being dedicated and working hard for something I am passionate about. I have met some of my best friends through those organizations and wouldn't trade my involvement for anything.

Keep an open mind - I came to college and met people that were so different from me and those people have taught me a lot about life. Being too set in your ways and unwilling to learn from others can keep you from meeting a lot of wonderful people in college and experiencing some wonderful things. Staying open-minded from the beginning allows a lot to happen and a lot of growth throughout your college years.

Take risks and be willing to have fun on a whim. My favorite memories from college are those times when we just decided to take a random trip or do a random thing on a whim. Stay up late and talk with people, even if you have an exam the next day - laugh a lot and take chances that you may not have taken in high school.

Enjoy every moment - at times it feels like college is going to last a lifetime, but when you look back, it goes by incredibly fast. I cannot believe that I am graduating so soon - it feels like I just got here. Savor the moments and don't take it for granted - someday you may look back and wish you could do it all over again!

I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog - it's been fun writing it. I wish you the best in your college careers and hope you have as great of an experience as I did.

Here's to college,
Mary