As the weather warms up and each day that passes is one day closer to calling myself an alum, I miss campus more and more. Even though this pandemic could not have been foreseen or abated, I can’t help but mourn the loss of my last spring at the place I’ve come to call home. I miss the cherry blossoms, walking down Magill Walk in the warm sunshine, and doing my classwork around the arboretum, paying more attention to the bees flying by than the text on the paper. As hard as it is to know I won’t be able to go back this semester, it’s been soothing to think back on the amazing times I’ve had on campus in the past 3.75 years. And to help students who are looking forward to the 2020-2021 school year, I’ve compiled a spring bucket list to make for the happiest of semesters!

• Attend Screw Your Roommate – even if it’s just to watch your friends stumble through a date. It’s a Swarthmore classic and the pairings never fail to disappoint. But honestly, every Swattie should partake at least once. It’s definitely an experience you’ll never forget, and usually makes for a good party story!

• Take a breather from campus and enjoy your spring break. Go home, go abroad, rest on campus, or whatever needs to be done in order to replenish yourself. Through my time at Swat, I’ve found laying on my couch or bed for seven days has been the best therapy, but hey, to each their own. 

• Attend the Philly Flower Show! It happens every year around spring break, and there’s a new theme every year. I went in 2017, and the theme was Dutch culture, so there were plenty of flower windmills, bridges, and even a tulip competition. Even though I’m not wild about flowers, it was absolutely spectacular.

• Go to the two big parties Swat throws – LSE (Large-Scale Event) and Worthstock. Swat brings in bands that student groups decide on, and are usually voted on by the majority of the student body, so you can bet it’ll be good music. My favorite thing is that a huge portion of the school turns out for this, so you’ll probably meet people you have never even seen before. 

• Walk around the Crum Woods and revel in the world that’s been growing right next to your classes. Spring semester can get overwhelming because you’re trying to plan for the summer, or for life after Swat, but I found that a nice walk in the Crum brings me back to serenity. When the sun’s out and the weather is warm, the woods flourish, and they never fail to remind me that no matter what’s going on, there’s plenty of good in the world; I just have to let myself concentrate on it. 

• Celebrate the seniors who won’t be coming back! This semester is, in many ways, one of the best of their academic career, and they should be celebrated for making it all the way there. Plus they won’t be roving around campus anymore, so might as well spend some time with them!

• Play frisbee on Mertz Lawn and be surprised at how good some of your friends are at the game, as well as how easily others turn a game of frisbee into a debate about philosophy. I have many fond memories of making some very good friends this way, which was unexpected but very welcome. I would say this is the most evident example of what our community is like – always happy to have fun, but ready to debate intellectual topics at the drop of a hat (or frisbee).

• Find and explore a new museum – I love to scout out new art as often as possible, and Philly made that ever so easy with its abundance of museums. Every spring, I have tried to find a new museum, and as I close my senior year, I can say I’ve achieved this goal. Even though art is never lacking on our campus, I’ve enjoyed the many excursions to Philly to walk around the big museums and let my mind wander. 

• On that note  – go to Philly! Enter the SEPTA lottery to win free tickets from our student government! Philly is endlessly entertaining, and there’s always something new to do. I’ve never done the same thing twice, eaten at the same place twice, or walked into the same thrift store twice. Getting lost in Philly just to find a cool bookstore or eat a fancy baked good is always thrilling. 

• Wear that bold outfit you bought this past winter but now are more nervous about. You will look amazing! Every year I buy things in the winter that I think “this is going to look so good once May rolls around,” and then May rolls around, and I get nervous. What if people don’t like it? Well, at Swat, I’ve found that you’ve gotta wear that outfit! Swatties will hype you up, and the arboretum photoshoot you can then have will one day bring back happy memories of spring at Swarthmore, of which there are never too many.

Enjoy Swarthmore Spring, friends!

About the Author:

Hi, I’m Giorgia! I’m a senior in the class of 2020, born in Italy and currently living on Long Island, NY. I am a double major in Peace and Conflict Studies and Environmental Studies here at Swat. I spent three years working with the Phoenix, our student run newspaper, in different capacities, am a Residential Assistant, and work in various on-campus offices. In my free time, I love training for long distance events, and just finished my first marathon in Philly in November! I also love a good book when it rains and podcasts when walking around campus.