The time has come for boxes to be packed, floors to be swept and the halls and dorms of Baker University to return to the eerie emptiness that accompanies the summer months.

It’s time for some students to head home to their families and friends and for others to move on to new chapters in their lives as simple citizens, not students.

Whether you’re graduating or just taking a summer vacation, now is the time for both reflection and preparation, both of which are necessary for moving forward in life.

Students who will be returning to campus next fall should look back over the last year and consider the things they’ve done that have helped them grow, as well as analyze all the things that might have held them back.

Without acknowledging a mistake, you’re bound to repeat it again. It’s best to cut some ties while you’re otherwise tying up loose ends.

Think ahead to the fall semester, to the upcoming school year as a whole, and set goals that are not only attainable but also challenging, and you will be all the more rewarded when you succeed.

As for students who will be graduating in little more than a week and leaving Baker University for the last time, now is the time to take hold of everything you have learned as a student and a person here.

Embrace the big, scary real world that awaits you, and know that by now, you are ready to go out and achieve, to succeed and to make a difference.

Summer brings with it a chance for new beginnings and the opportunity to take a moment and appreciate all you have done and how it has affected the world around you.

The long summer days will be seemingly short when fall starts to come around, so take advantage of all this time has to offer.