There will never be a day when the phrase “summer is over” sounds good to me.
When I was younger, it’d send me into a spiral. I had to find a silver lining somewhere, so I was thankful that back to school shopping was involved. I avoided thinking about math equations, hours of homework, friend cliques and instead focused on new school supplies: the smell of sharpened pencils, unused colorful pens and — my favorite part — curating my new wardrobe for the year.
I admit as I get older, I feel more excited and positive about going back to school. However, I still wish for an endless summer vacation.
If you’re not thrilled about summer coming to an end, don’t worry. There’s something to look forward to come fall. Since the start of my college career, I look at each semester as a new season of a TV show.
Some may find this ridiculous, but we all have our own coping mechanisms. Mine just happens to be pretending I’m on the set of a hit HBO series while walking on campus. Every semester brings new characters, a new wardrobe, new places to explore, new extracurriculars, etc.
I tell myself, “This year will be great” as I have yet another $8 coffee or matcha in hand that I’ve purchased for the third time in a week (another coping mechanism).
“Remember, your life’s a hit show,” my brain reminds me as I hold back tears because I’m sitting in a classroom full of people who don’t at all resemble Damson Idris or Conrad Fisher.
Whether it’s buying overpriced lattes, reading books in public instead of scrolling on my phone as I wait for class or wearing wired headphones instead of AirPods, it’s the little things that get me through. After all, I’m a huge proponent of romanticizing life.
Over the last few years on campus, I’ve adopted a few taglines. One is “life is like a movie.”
For example, during my freshmen year at LSU, I was having lunch with my roommate the weekend before class started, and, as you know, when it rains, it pours in the swamps.
When we crossed the street in the torrential downpour, my shoe somehow escaped my foot. I stood there in utter disbelief, balancing on one leg to avoid my bare foot needing a tetanus shot. My eyes followed my old navy flip flop as it drifted away into a sewage drain. Shortly after, I bunny hopped over to the Barnes and Noble close by and waited for my cousin to come to my rescue with a pair of shoes.
Needless to say, I never wore flip flops on campus again.
Yes, my life often feels like a coming of age series, and that episode in particular is season one, episode three: “Lost Hopes, Dreams and Shoes.”
There’s so much more where that came from. I’ve had an abundance of surprising and sometimes cringe moments in college. I didn’t lose a flip flop in every story, but you get the point.
I’ve almost lost my umbrella in battles with the wind multiple times, had awkward bar conversations, overheard my first freshman year roommate talk about me on the phone with her boyfriend in an unfavorable way and I can’t forget that one time I was talking about my campus crush when the elevator door opened and, to my surprise, there he was. Also, I learned he had a girlfriend on that very same elevator ride. Good times. The list goes on and on.
Despite all of these rather interesting events, I’m sure I’ll cherish these moments when my days as a Tiger are behind me.
As for now, it’s back to my regularly scheduled programming. Season seven of this journey is about to begin. Six semesters completed so far. Wow, time really does fly when life’s playing out like a Mindy Kaling coming of age series.
When I’m asked how it feels to be a senior, I’m hit with the thought “Where’d all the time go?” It feels like just yesterday I was unloading my life into my freshman year dorm. Thank you South Hall for being my first home at LSU. And sooner than later I found my second, the Reveille newsroom, where I met some of my favorite people, had some of my favorite conversations and wrote some of my favorite articles.
For me, senior year is all about living in the moment and taking in each and every day. I’ll keep my complaints and frustrations to a minimum. Don’t get me wrong — life happens, but through it all, there’s always something to be grateful for. I’m so blessed that I’ve had an amazing college experience filled with movie-worthy scenarios so far. Seven seasons of love, wins, losses, friends, tears, laughs and everything in between. All the makings of a hit show.
On this season of your personal TV show, I hope you take chances, make memories and enjoy everything life at LSU has to offer.
Before you know it, those days of walking under the gorgeous live oak trees as a student will be over.
The show is about to begin.
Ava Francis is a 22-year-old journalism major from New Orleans residing in Texas.
