All the buildings looked the same as they had when I graduated in 2004 (except for a rambling old Catholic church that was recently replaced by a ginormous privately-run dorm - no loss; the building was only used for Tuesday evening bingo), with a few minor alterations - the campus bookstore had a new entrance, and part of the Angell Center had construction going on. Banks Hall, where I spent five years of substance-free nights, was still where it was before, as was Champlain Valley Hall, where I had just as many years of not-that-useful English classes. 

The bittersweet thing, though, was that the people who'd made my college experience better than I could've hoped for were long gone. They've scattered to places like Buffalo, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Burlington, and others, and the campus wasn't the same without them. 

New people are there now, praising God, sweating through ten-page papers, going back for seconds at the dining hall, and standing in line at the financial aid office. 

College is a hell of a time; you step out from underneath your parents' wings for the first time, experience things and meet people you never would've expected to, and if all goes well, you end up with a degree, years of student loans to pay back, and a Facebook full of lifetime friends. But eventually, the ride's over and you and your friends must move on. 

Enjoy it while you can, because when it's over, it's over.