Many first-year and sophomore students are frustrated with the distance and time it takes to walk to the parking lot. During the long winter months at Colgate University, this trek can be pretty painful. The combination of few parking spots and limited hours of parking creates animosity between the student body and the school’s campus police. As an upperclassman, I have obtained a new perspective on the matter. I want to shine a light on the benefits of walking at such lengths to retrieve one’s car and having such a limited selection of parking up the hill.
There is a beauty to living up the hill at Colgate. It is hard to fully grasp it while being a first-year and a sophomore, but as soon as it’s gone, you realize just how magical it is. Unlimited meal swipes, all your closest friends within a 1-mile radius, all the academic buildings right outside your residential halls and the various lush quads to relax, study or throw a ball around. You start to see familiar faces and cherish the beauty of making a small school feel like a big community.
After moving down the hill, these familiar faces become far more infrequent. You begin to miss the hellos from the Frank workers at any hour of the day. You begin to miss walking across the quad to visit your friends. You wish you didn’t have to drive to Price Chopper to get groceries to cook your dinner. You wish you didn’t have to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual to account for the walk to class.
Having a considerable distance between you and your car during your first two years at Colgate is a blessing in disguise. The bubble of Hamilton, NY is truly something to cherish and appreciate. When you have access to your car, this bubble continues to expand until it bursts. Going to New Hartford for Chipotle or Syracuse to get a gyro takes away from that special atmosphere of eating at a local restaurant downtown. I get the desire to leave Hamilton for more food options. However, you have time to do that in your junior or senior year when your car is next to your residential living. If first- and second-year students had an easy way to leave campus, they wouldn’t be able to fully absorb Colgate and all it has to offer. At Colgate, it is easy to get caught up in the “what’s next” mentality, with its non-stop extracurricular activities and infinite academic possibilities. You have to slow down and catch yourself looking into the future because you’ll lose sight of the benefits of the present.
Having limited access and availability to your car as an underclassmen is the perfect excuse to invest in friendships, professors, personal interests and new experiences. Before you know it, the four years at Colgate will have flown by, and you’ll realize that the wonder days of living in this special community are now a memory. Take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and know you don’t need your car to do so.
