So Long, Farewell

Finals are rough for everyone. I know I’m not the only one feeling a bit stressed right now, and I wish you all the best of luck if you still have finals going on right now. This week has been especially busy, so naturally I spent most of it complaining about the amount of work I had to do. I cursed my 7 page Italian paper almost the whole way through, but as soon as I finished, I actually thought, “Wow, I hope this isn’t the last Italian paper I ever write,” and got a little sentimental. I had an “OMG I’m about to graduate” moment and realized that I’m not ready to stop learning. Being a student has defined me since kindergarten, and studying at William & Mary has made me think about things in ways I didn’t even know were possible. I had been kind of judging my peers who have been really sad about graduating, but it finally hit me. I’m so jealous of all you incoming transfers! Your journey at this incredible school is just beginning.

Get ready for all of your W&M firsts—Convocation, Yule Log, lazy days on the Sunken Garden (“Sunky Gs,” as I like to say), Campus Golf, LDOC celebrations, all-nighters (maybe). Take it all in. I was worried that coming in as a transfer, I would feel like I was making up for lost time. I now know that was a silly thing to worry about. Your experience here is absolutely what you make of it, whether you’re here for two years or four. And one of the best feelings ever during my time here was when peers or teachers said to me, “You transferred here? I had no idea!”

That being said, I’m still proud of my transfer identity and I’ve loved getting involved with admission—volunteering at prospective transfer days and working as a transfer intern this semester. I could talk about W&M for days, and I think that’s why I’ve enjoyed volunteering with transfer students so much. Anytime I can get someone excited about transferring here, that’s a win. It has been so much fun writing these blog posts, and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading them. There are so many amazing ways to get involved on campus, so here’s a shameless plug for getting involved with transfers. The transfer process is hard, but it’s definitely worth it, and once you’re here, it’s great to stay involved and help others going through the same transition.

This post has been a little all over the place—I couldn’t get myself to write a sappy piece on graduating (I’m not ready to cry just yet). Anyways, I wish you all well with finals and the end of the school year. For those of you still deciding on a school for the fall, just know that you will be in good hands at W&M. To all of you incoming transfers, welcome home! The Tribe is so thrilled to have you.

– Cassidy Fazio