My Final Year Beckons and I'm Finally Ready

Although I'm still technically a 2nd year PhD student - the two 3rd years are in final preparations before they leave. The new intake of freshers is nearly here and will inevitably look unbelievably young (This lot weren't born until '86/'87). I never though I'd be ready to leave this place (Trevelyan College) but I guess that since I'm going to be just about the oldest student still here it's finally time to move on. Trevs is a big conveyor belt. Every year that arrives ends up just like every other year: they arrive as optimistic naive freshers, friendly to everyone in their year. Then they move on to living out and become set in groups of friends and after the first few weeks stop comming into college. They then arrive back in college for their 3rd year in the same groups as always: The footballers tend to hang around together and get drunk, there's the group of popular 3rd year girls, the goon 3rd years who study all the time, the 4th year lingusts who band together and the 4th year scientists who are invariably grumpy. Every year likes to believe they are contributing something new to college, and certainly there are some characters that stand out, most so far all the years below me have followed this pattern.

Although I never considered it, the longer I've stayed, the more I've wished I made more of my ealry time here. I was awarded college half colours, but most of the stuff I've done has been since the graduation of most of my friends in 2002 forced me to move in new social circles.

All that's left is to make the most of my last year whilst doing a lot of work and look forward to August when my beautiful girlfriend Angharad (hopefully) returns from her year away in Japan.