Dear Seniors,
With one semester left on the scoreboard, we have officially entered the halftime of senior year. Whoa. With just 111 days before we cross the stage in May, this is the time to do all the activities you and your friends have been bookmarking over the past four years.
I do not know if this is just me, but my friends, roommates, littles and I are constantly sending TikToks, Instagram reels or other videos back and forth of cute coffee shops and pop-up activities around campus or in the Philly area. However, it is rare that we ever act on these plans. Instead, we bookmark them and, with an empty promise, say we have to try this out.
It’s time to act, so here is a compiled list of places to visit, activities to do and things to try during our last semester in the greater Philadelphia area.
One: Philly Day Trip
Considering the fact that it only takes 25 minutes to get to and from the city, it is a place I have yet to fully explore outside basketball games at Xfinity. However, the city has so much to offer. From deciding to go to the Art Museum to exploring Chinatown or going to see the Liberty Bell near Independence Hall, the city is full of new places to explore. My recommendations? Catching a Phillies game on a Tuesday night, spending hours in Reading Terminal Market or exploring locally owned bookstores and vendors. The city is filled with endless opportunities.
Two: Villanova Senior Events
The University hosts a variety of events for seniors throughout the Spring semester. Included are the Senior Pub Series, the 100 Days celebration that is coming up and senior week right before graduation, to name a few, as well as events for all grades, such as the Winter Gala. The University has thought of it all. I will be the first to admit that there used to be a time when I might have thought that University events were overrated, yet now, with just a few months left, it is time to savor them and say yes when your roommates ask you if you want to go.
Three: Freshman Year Re-do
Okay, hear me out on this one. A lot of the friends I have now I did not know during my first months or even first year on campus. However, there are freshman year traditions that I would love to have memories of with these friends. So why not have a do-over? From Sunday morning debriefs during SPIT breakfast, to church picnics and walking the neighborhoods behind South Campus, we can relive some of our favorite memories and places from our first moments as students during some of our last moments at Villanova.
Four: Graduation Photos
As a certified professional sentimental individual, I love having pictures that I can always have to look back on. Graduation is no different. The past three springs, I have loved walking across campus, going to class or the library, and seeing groups of friends get their graduation pictures taken, and celebrating the end of their college careers. It is bittersweet knowing that in a few months it will be me and my friends, the classmates I sat next to in Ancients, the people who also lived in McGuire freshman year, standing on the other side of the camera in our white dresses and navy gowns. Start getting your cords ready, photographers booked and hair appointments scheduled.
Five: A Dip in the Fountain
One of my favorite traditions is going into the fountain by the library at least once before graduating. I do not know why this tradition started, but I do know that it is a rite of passage for each Villanovan. There is no need to go all the way in. A simple photo standing in the water will do. Maybe it happens during your grad pictures, maybe it happens on a random Wednesday night with friends, regardless, this is a moment all students deserve to enjoy.
There are a lot of ways to make the most of our senior spring semester, and these are just a few. The most important thing to remember is to cherish it.
Time flies, and May will be here before we know it. Make the most of the next 111 days.
With love always,
Lauren
