How do you measure, measure 4 years?

So I have many other friends who I'm stealing this idea from, and Senior Week has made me bored enough to attempt to sit down and write this. So I suppose I just wanted to reflect on the last 4 years.

Freshman year:

I did not want to go to Longwood. I wanted to go to JMU, but I slacked off too much in high school and they didn't want me. I met my roommate, Katie, before we got to school, and she was nice enough. But I was going to miss my friends from home. I had a very good group of friends, and we did everything together. And now we were all going to different schools. Just about the only thing I was excited about was moving out of my parents' house so I could be treated like an adult for the first time. So my goal was to work hard and make good grades so I could transfer. I decided on being a bio major because I figured being a nurse would be cool and this was a good first step. I didn't think I would be a bio major for long, and I was pretty sure I was going to switch to start becoming a teacher. I had a friend from high school, Maggie, who also went to Longwood, so I kind of glued myself to her the first day or two. Back then, I wasn't very good at meeting people. Maggie and I met Lizzie and Emily in the dining hall of all places. For whatever reason Lizzie just asked Maggie if she wanted to sit with her, so we did. And from then on the four of us were friends. Maggie had this girl who lived across the hall from her named Megan. She quickly joined our little "group" and the 5 of us became best friends just like that. School was much harder than I thought it would be. I was really struggling in my bio classes, and I had this dick of an English teacher. While I was warming up to Longwood, I was still planning on transferring.

Second semester was much different than first semester. Megan moved into my room (Frazer 849) after Katie moved out to live with her new pledge sister. Emily transferred. Maggie had a falling out with Megan and I, and Lizzie made new friends. Megan and I became best friends, and it was fun. We drank Aristocrat vodka on Wednesdays (or whenever, really) and watched Food Network all the time. We played Wii Bowling constantly. My grades slipped when I gave up on transferring after no one wanted to accept me. That semester was really good for me. I learned how to have fun -- a lot of fun -- at Longwood. Unfortunately, my grades suffered so much that I didn't pass Chemistry.

That summer, I work at O'Charley's as a server. It's not the best part of time. I don't make good tips. Made some friends, but mostly hung out with my high school friends.

Sophomore year:

I'm an RA in Frazer. Since I had given up on transferring, I thought making more friends and getting involved would make my college experience that much enjoyable. I really liked the Frazer staff, especially Rob and Candice. I also have my first boyfriend ever. His name is John and he was in that tight group of friends from high school. After a dramatic freshman year of him not knowing whether we should stay friends or date, we're finally together, but in a long distance relationship when neither of us had cars. Being an RA took a lot of time, but it didn't affect my school work. John was a great influence and always encouraged me to study. We saw each other once every few weeks when we would both go home or maybe one of us would borrow a car from our respective parents, but somehow we made it until second semester when I finally got my own car. Megan lived in Lancer Park with some girls she hardly knew. I went over and cooked dinner with her sometimes. She also got a new boyfriend, so we certainly didn't see each other as much, but we went to d-hall together fairly regularly and stayed close. My grades were up. Yay.

Second semester was more of the same. I re-took that Chemistry class and got a B. Good for me! I have a car now, so I'm driving to John. The distance is much easier knowing that I can drive to him whenever I need to, and I've really fallen for him at this point. By the end of the semester I'm wondering that if we can make it through that, what else can we do?

I'm excited that John is in Richmond for the summer so we can finally have some time to hang out. I'm working full-time at a place called Pulmonary Associates of Richmond doing patients' vitals. I love it. But I hate that at night, I'm taking Organic Chemistry classes. They're hard as shit, and I can't concentrate for that long, especially after a full day of work. I pass the classes that I take by the skin of my teeth.... and I really mean that. And I fulfill my internship goal and make a boatload of money by working at PAR. I really liked the ladies that I worked with there, except for Janet.

Junior Year:

I'm living in the Landings (SW 409), and I love it. I have Megan as a roommate again. I'm also living with Raquel, Megan's friend from high school, and also Michele, a cute blonde that we just scooped up to fill our last room. We were all pretty close that first semester. I am still a bio major, despite everything. At this point, it's the only thing on my mind, and I'm working my ass off to get decent grades. I'm not an RA anymore, thank goodness. A year of it was fine, but I didn't want to have to worry about those responsibilities again. John has a car now. Phew.

Second semester, I start working at Lancer Line by calling alumni and begging for money. It's OK, and it gives me some cash. My apartment was entertained by Naked Girl, and I'm still in contact with my RA friends, even though Candice is about to graduate. I'm still dating John. I took my final Organic Chemistry class. I barely passed. But I passed. Thank God.

In the summer, I work at PAR at the front desk for the first half. I become close with my co-worker, Jessica. I really liked the front desk, but vitals were fine too. John is in DC for the summer working for Naval Intelligence. It sucks that he's far away, but I'm about to be much farther, because I'm about to study abroad in La Rochelle, France. I've written in other blogs that I can't really explain everything that happened in France (it would take hours) or explain how it changed me as a person. But I met lifelong friends who are halfway across the world. I was the most independent I have ever been. I felt as if I had been there my whole life, and it was home. At the end of my studying experience, John met me in Paris and we traveled around France for a week. It was spectacular and we had so much fun together. It was hard to say goodbye to him when the new semester started.

Senior Year:

This is it. I wasn't entirely sure I was going to graduate since I had Biochemistry standing in my way (which is rumored to be much more difficult than Organic Chemistry). Turns out by changing my course catalog I was able to avoid that hurdle. And I was on my way to that diploma. I'm still living in the same place with the same roommates. I'm still working for Lancer Line, but now I'm really good at it. I'm also 21 now, so I'm enjoying Mulligan's, the only bar in Farmville. Megan and I would go there some Thursdays and make friends that would only last that night, but it was still fun. I'm starting to realize at this point that I pretty much just work and do school stuff, and I wish I had something else to do. I decide it's too late to get involved in anything else, and leave it alone.

Second semester, I really feel like I'm in the home stretch. I'm only taking 9 credits, but they're the hardest 9 credits I've ever taken. Same roommates. Same boyfriend. I've been promoted at work to a supervisor. Tiny pay increase. More fun in general. I see a flyer in the post office one day for RENT auditions. I keep going back and forth on whether to audition or not before being convinced by everyone I know to just go for it. So I do. I make it. I'm Maureen. Hooray! Now I think I was one of the only people in the cast who did not know a single person tied to the theatre, so I was a bit intimidated. I made great friends though. The cast became really close, and I'm so glad I did this. While it took a lot of time away from school work and other things, it was beyond worth it. The perfect ending to college. These memories I will take with me forever.


So now I've finished senior year. I'm graduating in 4 days, and then immediately starting nursing school.

The future:

Nursing school for 15 months. Full time. M-F 8:30-4:30. That's going to suck.
Living at home. Not going to be the best but at least it keeps the amount of my loans down significantly. John decided to get a job in Richmond so we could be together. Finally no more distance after 3 years of it.

Regrets of the last 4 years:
I can't really say that I have any. I wish that I hadn't had to work so damn hard in school to "get by," but at least I got by at all, and a biology degree will definitely help me in the long run.

Favorite moments:
Spontaneous bikini/coconut party in 849 with Megan
Stalking out Naked Girl with the 409 roommates
Anything and everything having to do with RENT
Sunday brunches in d-hall and giggling about the weekend
Watching She's the Man and Ellen
Having friends visit
Learning that I will, in fact, graduate... and so will my friends


I came into college not very excited to be here, but I don't think any other school could have given me what Longwood has given me. I went from trying to transfer to being an RA to talking people into giving money to this institution because they should believe in Longwood as much as I do. It will be sad to leave, but no one can take these memories from me.