It’s now five o’clock in the morning. The sun’s coming up, which is never a good sign. I’m hungry, thirsty, tired, completely out of it and extremely happy.

I just realized that what I will miss most after graduating from Yale are not the professors or classes, but the few people with whom I managed to make a real connection. The times I chilled in the dining halls and Morse common room or, like tonight, when I stayed up to some ridiculous time at night (or should I say morning) for no reason at all.

It’s those 3 a.m. conversations with suitemates and friends where you truly find out about yourself and other people. It’s when you are awake enough to carry on a semi-coherent conversation but tired enough so that your normal defense mechanisms are down and you can be yourself.

Given the lack of diversity at Yale, I consider myself fortunate to have such a wide range of friends. Only in college can I walk into someone’s room, sit down and talk to a Singaporean; an Asian-American from California; an American who spent most of her life living in Poland, Spain and Venezuela; an African-American from Brooklyn; and a person from Seattle with Norwegian ancestry about topics ranging from race relations to religion, massage techniques to our favorite childhood cartoons (in case you are wondering, we agree that Thunder Cats and G.I. Joe rule).

I have learned so much through talking with them. Through our differences of opinion I have learned to expand my mind and view situations from multiple perspectives. I have matured as a person. This is what I will miss the most. These people helped me maintain my sanity during the rough times here at Yale. For this I will eternally be in their debt and will miss them all dearly.

Chris Archie is a graduating senior in Morse College.