There you are, working along, minding your own business and all of the sudden it hits you: midterms. Somehow you wake up one morning and it’s the middle of October. September has flown by in a frenzy of open houses, information sessions and hundreds of new emails from all of the clubs you absolutely had to join at the Student Activities Committee Fair.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as I came to this realization, I began doing some calculations (this is big; as a general rule I stay away from all things arithmetic): If I only have three full semesters remaining, then I only have seven half-semesters left at Georgetown (including the remainder of this one).  And then I just had to go do something else because at this point I was now too sad when forced to think about the fact that I really won’t be here at Georgetown forever, and even more upset that math brought me to this conclusion.

But this realization that time stops for no man (even at Georgetown) forces me to think about the fact that my time here is finite, and that inevitably takes me to the famed bucket list of the Stall Seat Journal. It’s the catalog that compiles and chronicles the most important traditions, if you will, that all Georgetown students absolutely must complete before they leave campus forever. It names Hilltop-exclusive traditions like swimming in the fountain (which for some reason is just cooler if you do it when it’s freezing outside), eating a Chicken Madness (I don’t know who made this list; I much prefer the Hot Chick, myself) and — arguably the most popular — sitting in the lap of John Carroll.

The other day, I saw a group of brave souls trying to climb into our founder’s lap. I stopped and just watched for a while as they discussed the strategy of the undertaking. I enjoyed the way they finally decided to go about it: The young gentleman hoisted his female companions one by one onto his shoulders so that from that height, they could all achieve their goal. I walked away then, noting their tactics of course, and decided I would honor them in another way. So thank you, Thursday night adventurers. I hope your night was a success and that you escaped without any major injuries.

Sitting in someone’s lap is an interesting concept for a tradition. As small children, we participated in the act during the Christmas season, whispering to Santa Claus what it was exactly that we wanted for Christmas so as not to be disappointed on the big day. But none of us go into this particular Georgetown tradition with the idea that John Carroll is going to bring us gifts. Instead, sitting in someone’s lap denotes safety and security. Figuratively speaking, it is supposed to give us a feeling that here, in this home, we are somehow shielded and protected from the rest of the world.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the whole “sit on the statue’s lap” thing is not exclusive to Georgetown. Still, the idea that John Carroll, the father of Georgetown and one of its greatest representatives, protects us and prepares us for the lives ahead of us is Georgetown-specific. Within these sacred walls, we can explore anything, learn everything and teach anyone some of what we know. It is a special feeling that no one but a Hilltop student can understand or enjoy.

So the next time you get a chance, clamber on up there. Snap a picture, tell Fr. Carroll what you want for finals week and then jump down and run, because chances are, you’ve been spotted. But it’ll have been worth it. Because now and for the rest of your life, every time you see John Carroll staring out the front gates, gazing at the rest of the world, you’ll know that he’s welcoming you safely home.

Sydney Schauer is a junior in the College. She is a board member and the tour coordinator of Blue and Gray. IT’S TRADITION appears every other Tuesday.