Take a chance

It is over.\nThe four-year quest that seemed as though it would never get off the ground and would possibly never end is grinding to a screeching halt this weekend. \nAll of this, the speed at which school whizzes past, comes as no surprise. Long ago, before the days of Taco John's and Ramen Noodle feasts, I learned that as you progress in your education, time itself begins to speed at a dizzying pace. \nCollege, the place we go to expand our knowledge provides every one of us with the opportunity to be something.\nThe opportunities when college begins are endless -- the dork in high school can suddenly become the coolest kid on campus. Time in college seems infinite. But as the hourglass trickles the sand granules, those limitless opportunities dwindle by the day.\nThe chance to take that class, eat at that restaurant and ask that girl out fade and what is left are missed opportunities.\nRather than leaving IU with bitter feelings about things that never came about, take a chance. Although the knowledge I obtained from classes is the reason I came to IU, the most valuable thing I gained from college are the experiences I gained from taking a chance.\nAfter sitting back for two years, I finally decided to take a chance of my own. That chance was joining the Indiana Daily Student. As a sophomore, when I entered the newsroom for the first time, the only emotion that came over me was fear. \nNow two years later, the only fear regarding the newsroom is being kicked out. The IDS provided me with more experiences in my senior year than my first two years of school combined. Traveling across the Midwest and suffering through the ups and downs of two sports only added to the experience of writing and reporting. The experience outside of the classroom, meeting people and experiencing sports history happening before my eyes, is the most rewarding thing college has offered me.\nTaking the chance to try something new and getting the reward the most important thing my four years have taught me.\nAs seniors embarking on the rest of our journeys, wherever they may take us, the thing that binds us together are the experiences college life has given us.\n So as the final days of college whiz past, make some new experiences. Take a chance. Do something you've dreamed of, tell that special someone how you feel and eat that dinner you have always wanted.\nI only hope the memories I have made over the past four years don't fly away as fast as my time here at IU has. College is a short time in our lives, and the memories we make from it will last us a lifetime. \nSo if you haven't made some great memories, do it now. Because the last piece of sand will have fallen by Saturday afternoon and then it will be over.