Opinions

It is a time of year when uncertainty about the future permeates virtually every interaction for the average college student. "What are you doing for the summer?" "Where will you be next fall?" "Do you have plans for after graduation?" The questions become pervasive and insistent this time of year; either they inevitably emerge in conversation, or they hang in the air, unspoken and unavoidable.

Underclassmen are making plans for how to spend the next three months. Seniors face the possibilities of a larger future, and what first move to make as new college graduates. Thinking about the future can be as frightening as it is enticing, particularly for graduating seniors, many of whom feel they are forging their first truly independent paths.

But, while earnest consideration for the future is advisable, graduating seniors should remember that the choices they make for the immediate future do not need to dictate the rest of their lives. Some students graduate with an admirably clear, far-reaching vision of what they want to do and how they want to live; but for the many still squinting at the horizon, incertitude is not only acceptable but productive.

Graduates can and should take time to explore new places to live, experiment with new kinds of work, figure out what clicks for them and what falls flat.

Furthermore anxious or excited anticipation for the future—be it the next three months, three years or three decades—should not prevent students from savoring the end of this present. It is sometimes difficult to be fully invested in the present when the future is growing increasingly tangible and immediate. Yet it is important to consciously appreciate experiences as they come to a close.

So take note and delight in those final two classes of that difficult, rewarding seminar course. Observe and relish the unique dynamic of housemates living together for the final few weeks. This campus hosts a flurry of year-end activities—go to the shows, games, films and lectures. Bask in the sunlight (when present) on Foss Hill. The future is not so immense, and the present not so immaterial—take stock in both.