Finals are over. Dorms are empty. Campus is quiet. Freshman year is officially over. I kept telling myself that I was so ready for summer, and yet, there are a few things I’m going to miss about WashU…
I’ll miss the smell of Dauten in the rain, the smell of dried oatmeal in a mug I should’ve cleaned weeks ago, the smell of Subway in Mallinckrodt, the smell of the blooming trees and flowers all around campus, the smell of WUSAs baking cake, the smell of freshly washed sheets, the smell of freshly cut grass, the smell of the comfort meal in BD, the smell of latex gloves in lab, and the smell of burnt popcorn for movie night.
I’ll miss the sound of the shower running while you’re still in bed, the sound of BD stir fry, the sound of suitemates practicing their a cappella performances, the sound of birds chirping at 2 AM, the sound the snow makes underneath your feet in the winter, the sound of an alarm set for “just a 20 minute” nap, the sounds of WILD and WUstock, the sound of cheers from Francis Field, the sound of batting practice in the mornings, the sound of 300 students taking notes in LabSci, and the sound of the tour guides’ microphones echoing throughout Brookings Quad.
I’ll miss the sight of a Circ just out of reach, the sight of an enthusiastic text message from the mailroom, the sight of an empty booth at Whispers, the sight of a perfectly erased chalkboard, the sight of a colorfully painted Underpass, the sight of the red tulips in front of Brookings and Graham Chapel, the sight of sunsets behind Siegle, the sight of students walking between classes, the sight of a midterm grade finally posted on Blackboard, and the sight of dawn right before bed.
I’ll miss the taste of the giant blackberries in the yogurt parfaits, the taste of toasted ravioli and gooey butter bars, the taste of crepes in BD at midnight, the taste of the leftovers from that one night you explored St. Louis, the taste of the second third cup of coffee during a late night of studying, the taste of Jamba Juice smoothies that essentially ruined my meal point balance, the taste of unlimited chips at the Engineering school’s weekly cheap lunch, the taste of a Half n Half just when you needed it, the taste of whatever you had delivered to the Clocktower, and the taste of my favorite dishes from The Loop.
I’ll miss the feeling of a scorching St. Louis summer and freezing St. Louis winter, the feeling walking on Mudd field when it truly is a mud field, the feeling of a warm and freshly printed exam, the feeling of an extra long twin Tempur-Pedic mattress after a long day, the feeling you get when you see everyone you missed after a long break, the feeling of a fresh breeze of air off my common room’s balcony, the feeling of finally stapling together the ten page Writing 1 research paper, the feeling of successfully swiping into the dorms on the first try, the feeling of that one seat in the classroom you sat in all semester, the feeling of sledding down Art Hill, and especially the indescribable feeling when having late night existential conversations you’ll never forget, even though you probably could’ve been studying instead.
But, I’ll be a sophomore in the fall. This isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later!
WashU Fun Fact #2: You’re going to make lifelong friends here. I know I have!
