I want to be Van Wilder

Monday was my official last first day of school. That's right, in eight months, I will no longer be an IU student. I will be an IU alumna -- and that's scary. I should be happy to graduate and move to the next chapter of my life, but bidding goodbye to IU will probably be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do.\nI remember coming to IU as a freshman -- a "cool" freshman living in McNutt. Upon deciding on my courses, I signed up for all 8 a.m. classes because I thought that was the thing to do. But it didn't take me long to realize that class was not mandatory -- it was optional. After less than a week in college, I adjusted to a completely different lifestyle -- one without rules and limits. Pizza and cheesebread became midnight snacks, a healthy meal came out of a can and nap time was a necessity at least three times a day. \nI'll admit that between the excessive fun and partying, I've matured every year. In just four years, I've gone from an innocent little freshman to a confident senior.\nBut let's face it, college is the ultimate excuse to be lazy, broke and carefree. \nThat's part of the reason I want to be Van Wilder. \nI never want to grow up and be a "real person" with a "real job" living in the "real world."\nIt's really scary out there, and I'd much rather be doing a few victory laps at IU.\nBut I don't think that's possible (especially with my parents paying out-of-state tuition).\nDon't get me wrong: I worked hard, too. I busted my butt to get into the journalism school. I've made it through finite, economics and a creative writing poetry class that I took by mistake.\nTo quote Van Wilder himself, as he gave a fellow collegian some advice, "But you know what I've learned in my seven years here at Coolidge, Timmy? I've learned that you can't treat every situation as a life-and-death matter because you'll die a lot of times. Write that down."\nI am suddenly realizing that after May 7, 2005, I will have no more excuses to go out at 1 a.m. on a Tuesday night, sleep until 3 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon and sport pajamas the entire day.\nWhile I prepare for the next leg of the journey of my life, which will consist of numerous job applications and interviews, I am confident the education I have received and the memories I have made at IU will get me through the adjustment. \nI've never been a fan of change, but the change from high school to college was amazing. So who knows what the next chapter of my life will bring?\nI know I will come back to IU from time to time and check up on the place I called home for four years. I'll definitely go to a few basketball games and walk around campus. I'll miss it. Don't be surprised if I shed a river on May 7 -- it's the least I can do for IU.\nSo as cliche as it sounds, enjoy your time at IU. The best four years of your life will go by in the blink of an eye. Mine did. Write that down.