Usually when I wake up at 5 a.m. on a Monday morning, I’m catching a flight to a backpacking trip in Europe or traveling somewhere gorgeous in the United States. However, on this past Wednesday I woke up at 5 a.m. so I could register for my last semester of college! My LAST SEMESTER.

This semester continues flowing by right before the eyes of every single student on the Hill and shows no signs of slowing down. Midterms are over, final projects are beginning and wrapping up, and final exams are on their way.

Honestly, it seems like yesterday when my family moved me into room 615 of Barnes-Campbell Hall with my roommate Billy Moore (who also became my fraternity brother and best friend).

It wasn’t long after our parents left us to ourselves on the Hill that we began investigating the party scene at WKU.

And it wasn’t long before three Greeks came up to us and invited us to our very first “rush” party…and that was all she wrote. We’ve both been a member of our fraternity since freshman year and have no regrets.

Even before school started, we all remember our Academic Transition Program — the tedious and somewhat annoying process of getting to know the Hill and getting advised by people of your future academic department.

Holy shit. That happened during my senior year of high school! How has time slipped through our fingers during our time on the Hill? 

Could it be because I partied pretty hard for the past three and a half years? Possibly. Or could it be because our parents always told us that the older you get, the quicker time flies by?

That’s a statement my parents always told me but I never wanted to believe. 

When I arrived at the hill I was 18 years old and I am now 22. Do you realize how many things can happen to a person during a four-year time period?

I’ve lost family members and friends, I’ve gained friends, I’ve gained knowledge, and fraternal brothers for the rest of my life. 

I’ve gained a family at the College Heights Herald and my fraternity and all over this campus.

Bottom line: the kid who showed up to Barnes in August 2008 transformed into someone else who he thought he’d never be — an adult.

I’m using the word “adult” kind of loosely, however, because some people go throughout their entire lives and never act as adults. But since my time here on the Hill, I know that the triumphs and trivial times have molded me into a better man. The Hill has helped direct me into the right direction of becoming the adult I know I can be.

So here is what I say to you if you’re an underclassman: join a club, get involved, have your voice heard, and if you let the Hill guide you into adulthood, it will.

Also, take your classes seriously and try your hardest in balancing partying and schoolwork. I did it and so have countless alums and current students. So can you.