Student status.

I wish I were a student again.

I know when I get my Masters I'll be able to achieve that status. There are just so many things I adored about college, I am kind of anxiously waiting to go back, already.

What I miss the most:

1) Sense of belonging
Sure, you can still have a sense of belonging without going to a university or wearing your school colors every day. But walking around the same campus, seeing the same people, and hearing the bells chime your school's alma mater gives you a fuzzy feeling you can't get anywhere but on a campus.

2) People you see every day
They become family. Especially the ones you live with. You share everything with them, the highs and the lows. They keep you from getting too stressed. They're always there, and you know you can call on them if you need help. Familiar faces= more fuzzy feelings.

3) libraries.
I never was without an open, available library around me until I came to France. Sure, there is one small library here, but it's certainly not as large as the ones you'd find on a college campus, where you can bring your lunch and just spend hours reading countless books. And, they're all at your disposition. Come finals, the library becomes your home. And for me, I loved going. It was a quiet "escape" from the rush of everyday life.

4) campus activities
When I was taking 21 credits at the end of my senior year, I'll admit I wasn't as involved in my campus activities. But freshman year brought me the most fun, and filled my schedule with other things besides class: Going to parties, hitting the gym, prayer groups, dinners, football games, shopping trips, the list goes on. You could never not find a group of people willing to go out and do something whenever the cabin fever bug bit.

5) student discounts
(I'm still using them today, almost a year after I graduated). Who can complain? We pay dirt for airline tickets, transportation fees, movie/play tickets, an so on. Even after you're no longer a student, you still get benefits and discounts from being under 25.

6) being around people my age
Again, being in a small town of 4,500 reiterates the fact that there are limited people my age here in France. Clearly, being on a campus you're enveloped by people you can relate to, talk to, grab a coffee with when the mood strikes, play pool at the corner bar...but nowhere else do you have that constant presence of friends, acquaintances, professors that become friends, and so forth.

I suppose this post was necessary after listening to a Harvard lecture online about philosophy. The camera made it feel like you were present in the lecture hall, and the professor was right in front of you. I got a strong sense of longing for that atmosphere. Who knows, maybe if I get my Ph.D. one day, I can work and live in that atmosphere for as long as I choose. But being a student is a time one should cherish, because after that, the real world kicks in and you've got to start paying back those loans, find your own apartment, maybe live with a lot fewer roommates (who might not even be your age), and move to wherever your job takes you. It's inevitable for us, so we should enjoy being a student when we are and not take any of that time for granted.