There will be so many lasting memories and huge, life-defining moments you’ll take with you when you leave college — it’s one of those experiences that helps define your life, your personality, your goals, your path. We’re here to remind you that the smaller moments can do that, too. Those small things in between the big things are just as important when it comes to shaping your experience at CSU. Here are a few to ponder.
#1. Feeling small in the best way
You’re heading to class and take a shortcut through the Oval. You’ve been here before, of course — it’s one of the prettiest places on campus. But, in this moment, you stop, look up, and realize just how small you are in the world. It’s not one of those “I’m small and insignificant” moments … it’s one of those fleeting “I’m just a tiny speck in this magnificent, swirling universe” moments. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to feel that feeling more than once in your life, and it’s not something you can force. But we’re pretty sure it’s happened to almost everyone who stops for a breather under the towering elms and dappled sunlight here.
#2. That spark when you learn something amazing
Sometimes the best, best moments in college are the ones that change your perspective when you’re not even expecting it. Something clicks in class, or in a lab, or during a study session, and you’re hooked: This is the core of learning: the spark, the thing that makes you want to learn more, ask a question, read on. Maybe it’s a sign you’re on the right academic path, and maybe it’s just one of those inspiring moments that makes it all worth it.
#3. The rush of camaraderie at a football game
It’s a crisp fall Friday night. Feet are stomping out the beat in the stands while the CSU band plays the fight song. You know all the words and you’re not even really sure when you learned them. The Rams charge onto the field, breaking through the paper banner, and, boom: You’re in it, with every single person in the stadium, and it’s amazing.
#4. A magical moment in the mountains
Somehow you took a class that has hands-on learning or labs. All of a sudden, you’re road tripping into the mountains with your classmates and lacing up your hiking boots. You pull onto a dirt road and the rich smell of pine — and fir, and spruce — waft in through the open windows, and you see it: those wild, rugged Rocky Mountains and their forest-covered foothills that people write songs about. Is this what college is like?
#5. The quiet peace of a snowfall on the Oval
You might have had your “feeling small” moment on the Oval, but have you been there on a quiet morning when the snow is falling in big, fluffy flakes? This is it: There are no dogs chasing balls, no one studying on the fresh-cut grass, no surveying classes taking measurements on the lawn, no cars circling. It’s just you, the muffled sound of your steps, and your soft, even breaths as you turn it all off for a moment of peace.
