Bye undergrads!

I had to avoid the gym today because of commencement, and the inevitable traffic / parking clusterfuck on my urban campus. But now that the class of 2010 has been launched into the real world (or various graduate programs), and their parents have hauled the last of their dorm room furniture away -- it is officially summer!

No more waiting for the good treadmill. No more circling my department because I can't find street parking. No more crappy reject computers at the library. No awkward encounters with students who nearly flunked my class, or who expect me to remember their names from three years ago even though they never spoke in class. No long lines at the smoothie booth in the student center!

Of course I'm still working with one undergrad, my fellowship student who is working on a summer research project. But I like helping with his project, so it's okay if one day I want a smoothie and he is in front of me in line.

When you think about it, one student is the perfect amount of students. You can be helpful and attentive, and feel good about being an effective mentor, while you still have 95% of your time to yourself. And you need that time because summer also means there is tons of trashy reality on television right now.