Packing up for school this summer, I can’t help but reminisce about the last time I did this – as a first-year-to-be. Sorting through my clothes, I remember going through the same sorting job the year before and putting far too many clothes into my school pile. I didn’t know what I would need and I wanted to be prepared for everything. Of course, now I think I was over prepared and also slightly under prepared. There were things I forgot that I wish I had brought and things that I did bring which I wish I hadn’t, since I didn’t even use them. Honestly, I think this is the nature of freshman year. You don’t exactly know what you are getting into, so you do your best to prepare for the unexpected. And as expected, you don’t do as great of a job as you would have liked.

So now for my second year, I’m trying to avoid making the same mistakes. For the most part, I think I am doing a much better job than last year. I’m cutting down on how many clothes I am bringing. I have a plan for decorating my room. I’m getting things that I wished I had had last year, and leaving behind the things I didn’t even use. The only catch is I know that I’m still preparing for the unknown. I have some past experience with college life now, but sophomore year is still as unknown to me now as freshman year was to me last summer. So, while I’m cutting down on clothes I’m still worried about bringing enough clothes for the upcoming year. Maybe this year will be colder than last and I won’t have enough warm clothes because it wasn’t cold last year, and I didn’t bother to bring them this time around. Or maybe I’ll actually decide to wear more dresses this year than last year. Who knows what I’ll actually wear or what I’ll use? The only thing I do know is what I did last year which may not be a great indicator for this year.

It’s weird to think that even though I am more informed, I still have the some of the same thoughts and emotions going into sophomore year. Packing up is still the same grueling process of what-ifs and tough decision-making. I’m also excited, as well as nervous, going into this year like I was last summer (albeit I am a lot less nervous this summer). And unpacking will be the same annoying process, I’m sure. All of this reminds me how cyclical years can be and how much those cycles highlight the subtle differences that have transpired during that past year, as well as, all the things that remained the same. For example, my planning skills have improved immensely, yet my clothing piles look remarkably similar to last year’s. I may also be more confident in myself than I was last year, yet I still feel my nerves kicking in as I prepare to leave home again. Anyways, now it’s time for me to return to packing and stop procrastinating by writing this article.

Thank you for reading and to all my Whitman friends I can’t wait to see you next week!