Constantly being around my friends and going to their rooms when I want to hang out is easily the best part of college. If I am ever lonely, chances are that there is someone in one of the dorms or in the lounge that is as well. Despite the relief that I felt upon returning home for the summer after finishing finals week, creating memories with my friends around campus is what I will miss the most about Fairfield.

Everyone should utilize their time at school when their friends are surrounding them. Not being around friends constantly can be extremely limiting and beyond frustrating when having to coordinate with different schedules back home. Being home is also difficult because during the last week of school, my friends and I grew closer than ever. We mutually stressed over finals and would spend hours at a time together reviewing or having tea and snacks at night. My friends from high school live in towns that are at least 30-45 minutes away. Coming home and having to plan middle-ground checkpoints to meet up is a rude awakening after being only two doors down from one of my closest friends.

Certainly the end-of-the-year stress allowed me to take for granted certain aspects of life at school that I do not have at home. However, these little moments with friends allow me to consider my last few weeks of school well-spent. These moments also taught me that the most simple activities can be fun as long as you are with friends.

Beyond drinking tea and having snacks together, my friends and I during the last few weeks of school began to go behind Canisius and Donnarumma Halls to the faculty parking lot to sit on the curb and just smile and wave to passing cars. I recommend trying to do this at least once while at Fairfield. It may seem silly and embarrassing at first, but nothing is better than the wide smile that people get on their faces. Doing this with my friends made me realize how powerful a random smile and friendly gesture can be since seeing people being friendly just for the sake of it has become a novelty.

I also miss spending time in the Main Dining Room of the Barone Campus Center with my friends. You have not had the true Barone experience until you and your friends have all hit rock bottom where everyone at the table has waffles for dinner because none of the entrees look all that appetizing. Listening and singing along to “our songs” and sitting in the booth that we dubbed ours in Barone are memories that I cherish and cannot wait to continue when we return to campus in September.

Even when I am glad to get off of campus and return home for the summer, Fairfield will always hold a certain fondness in my heart. Whether it is the breathtaking way that the trees transform at the beginning of every season or the hilarious moments experienced while in Barone, all of it becomes inconsequential. Being home made me realize more than ever that these moments are nothing without experiencing them all with my best friends because they are some of the most important people to me.

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-- Online Editor-in-Chief Emeritus-- Digital Journalism

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