On Leaving Your College

Since graduating at the end of last year, my wife and I spent some time planning how we'd leave the College. It happened with some sadness, as we both started out in the College, met through the College, and had spent years watching it grow. But, leaving had to be done. This post is mostly an exploration of why that is, along with some of the method.

One of the main reasons we left is that we're both getting towards a decade older than the general population of first-year uni students. That starts to feel all sorts of awkward, despite the best of intentions on both sides. It can also change the dynamic of the group, with the older, theoretically responsible folks making people think they should behave.

Additionally, as members of the Old Guard, and in fact both former Seneschals, we were starting to feel that the way these whipper-snappers are running things is wrong, because it's not how we did things, con-sarnit. If they're not doing things my way, they must be saying I was getting it wrong, and that's impossible, because I'm always right. Curse these youngin's with their strange fashions and silly music.

But, the new generation of Collegians seem to be doing a fine job of running things. Numbers are up, people seem keen, and that's a mark of success. My ways of running the College are really focused around pulling it back from the bring - I remember more than one month where the peak numbers were 3 (of which I was the only student). Once you're not on the verge of shutting, then the ideal methods change.

So, the decision was made, we shall leave the College! Ah, but we should wait until the new folk this year have settled in, they might need some advice that we can be helpful with... Okay, we'll start skipping a few meetings, only coming to the ones with something interesting going on... But habits are hard to break, and when "not coming" is a decision and "coming" is the status quo, you just keep coming. Eventually, we decided to just cut it off at a certain mark (which was timed well with the next planning meeting, by coincidence. Not having the Old Guard being opinionated in the College planning meeting is a good thing if you want to move on).

So, we've left, we're now alumni of the College of Saint Aldhelm instead of veterans of it, and the College is growing in new and exciting ways. May God have mercy on their souls.

Now get off my lawn.