By Jen Woodlee
Take a big whiff. If you’re olfactory senses are discerning, you’ll be able to sift through the scents of the asphalt, the livestock, and the pheromones of beautiful bodies that cloud the humid College Station air and then find a scent that is permeating every store, every apartment complex, and every restaurant. It’s school.
Wake up and smell the coffee. Coffee is bound to bring back all too vividly the memories of attempting that 8:00 a.m. class (earnestly might I add) and not seeming to be able to make it to the bus stop on time. When you’re walking by Poor Yorick’s, you should memorize that smell, and while your at it, you should memorize the times when it’s least busy, because you and the baristas at Poor Yorick’s (and any other coffee shop in town, for that matter) will more than likely get to know each other on a “medium coffee with two creams and one sugar” basis.
Going back to school inevitably brings back the sweet smell of success. The beginning of the semester allows you to organize and start from scratch, so this time you SWEAR you’ll actually use that Rec planner you picked up, or you’ll actually read every chapter before it’s due. You’ll also probably sit down and make goals, like “go to the library” or “study two hours a day.” Does the phrase “paved with good intentions” come to mind?
The most important smell you’ll come across is the smell of the roses. I don’t mean the beautiful flowers adorning the horticulture building, I mean the reality of everything going on around you. No matter if this is your first or twelfth semester here, you’ll grow and change just like the proverbial roses, and as long as you welcome every experience with open arms, and nostrils, then your college experience will be all that you’ve ever dreamed.
Welcome back to the smell of another semester!