The last time I wrote one of these, I was sitting on my bed in my dorm room in Emerson Hall. A fire alarm was probably going off that I was ignoring and my roomie was probably singing to Backstreet Boys as she put on makeup to go out.
I wrote a column about the first-year experience: what it felt like as a fresh, innocent young freshman to experience Davis and the college life for the first time. Topics included “Boys and their Guitars,” “Idiotic Freshman Relationships,” “College Insomniacs,” and “The Floor ‘Whore.'” It was a fun experience to write about what it felt like for the very first time (like a virgin! Oh!) in college, and looking back it was a huge part of my freshman year to have a column.
Now, as a senior just days away from graduation, it is needless to say that life is different. No one knows what college life will bring you: Some people hate it but hopefully some love the experience. Back when I thought “Houseboats” was something just for families and getting written up by an R.A. was the talk of the weekend, I had no idea then that I would be in my last days of Davis with a bad economy and lack of a legit plan for the future. Luckily, I’m not the only one.
The college experience, for me at least, can be described in those random moments that can really only happen here. I asked some friends to share their favorite collegiate moments so I’m not the only narcissistic one talking.
Courtney Laliberte, who also happens to be a good friend, says one of her favorites was from her sophomore year.
“When we walked through the Del Taco drive-thru,” she said. “We were jumping up and down trying to get the sensor to work, and they wouldn’t take our order.”
Brad Thorton says he remembers the Girltalk concert at Freeborn Hall.
“Well it was a massive dance party and Davis pulling an up-and-coming artist to our school and having a great time,” he said.
I personally will remember him from freshman year dancing to “Fergalicious” in a dorm room.
“Pooping!” said my roommate for four years, Stephanie Bouret. “And going on dessert-runs. Probably that time we biked to the Co-op freshman year and came in to our dorm meeting late. And DC late-night snacks.”
Jennifer Vu also remembers her freshman year experience.
“Freshman year we were in Cuarto and you see that shopping cart. And we all have the same idea: one person get in and the other runs around in circles. The funny part: We were sober,” Vu said.
I personally remember joyriding through campus with eight-year friend and columnist Michelle Rick. The cops pulled us over – she was driving. He asked how we even got on campus at this time of night.
“Sorry officer, the gate was open. We didn’t know we couldn’t get through,” Rick said. Good one.
That was almost as good as the time when we got stuck in the Chevron carwash with another Aggie reporter Michelle Immel. Three girls in sundresses had to push Sweedie the Volvo to the Asian Auto Care with the help of JiffyLube guys – what a great Friday.
Whether you’re doing keg stands with your frat bros on a Monday night, going to get beer and donuts at 6 a.m. on Picnic Day with your roommate or sitting on the roof in lawn chairs watching the drunk people go by- these moments fill your college experience. We all know this is all we got. If you haven’t had a good time, oh well.
On the bright side you still have the rest of your life to live by. All the dumb moments and all the dramatic stuff that you thought you cared about, in retrospect, just shouldn’t matter right now. You’re freaking graduating!
On another note, I’m one of the few that have been writing at The California Aggie for all four years. I recommend to those who aren’t graduating, to check us out. You won’t regret it – I sure didn’t. Contact managing@theaggie.org.
ANGELA RUGGIERO would like to thank The California Aggie and all the people she interacted with for an awesome four years. E-mail her at aeruggiero@ucdavis.edu if you have one last thing to say.
