I'm just going to tell it like it is -- the real world as we all know it to be is pretty terrifying. It's unpredictable, immense, fast-paced and can sometimes reach a dead end. But before you can even enter the real world, you have to survive your senior year of college. You'd never expect for there to be so many obstacles, hoops or emotional roller coasters you would have to endure as a rite of passage into the real world until you've experienced it yourself. In the nine months of my senior year, I went through quite a few different emotional spells, underwent a lot of change, procrastinated (a lot), was beyond indecisive and cried.
1. The Realization
It's been a great last few years, which makes this sweet time more bitter than sweet, but bask in everything, every day, every hour spent on the campus you chose from the beginning, as you are about to leave it all behind.
2. The Memorable Moment(s)
Take it all in, absorb it. These are the memories that last a lifetime. Go to Senior Brunch, participate in Senior Walk, strive for that 4.0, go to your last everything, say yes to all events offered on campus and last but not least, walk at your graduation. There is no greater time than this last year of college.
3. The Days With Friends
These people will forever change your college career and your life after. So say yes to spending every moment that you can with them. Say yes to a midnight premiere even though you know you'll be exhausted in the morning. Say yes to finals feast. Say yes to embarking on mini roadtrips with them to absolutely nowhere because these are the memories that you will tell your children about.
4. The Tears
Tears are a good thing. Experience every emotion. Believe me, whether you try your absolute hardest not to feel anything, it is inevitable. When you're feeling nostalgic about a certain time on campus with friends, a great conversation had with a stranger, or even receiving a D on that exam you studied so hard for, treasure it -- remember the impact it all had on you.
5. The Denial
It's just not time yet. Ever since your freshman year, people were preparing you educationally, but no one prepared you emotionally. When you fall in love with a place where you've met your best friends, the love of your life, even found your passion, no one ever prepared you for the heartache that comes with having to leave. Henceforth the desire of not wanting to let go of something so great, and leaving behind what gave you the greatest gift before embarking on the biggest journey of your life -- reality.
6. The Senioritis
Procrastination at its utmost finest. Let's all be honest -- senioritis hits everyone before becoming a senior, but it's the last semester and you've waited the night before to get a whole semester project done in less than 12 hours. In that moment, you've unlocked the door to your mind you never thought was there: potential. You finally get that project back expecting the worst possible grade, battling with yourself internally, accepting defeat in that a D will suffice, but you come to see that you actually received an A and are now wondering what your grades would've been like had you not procrastinated all four years.
7. The Reality
When people tell me I have to grow up
My attempts at adulting
No one ever really told you what life was going to be like after the college bubble. No one prepared you for what to expect. No one ever told you life was going to be easy, they just never explained how hard it was. The beauty of this is the independence that you gain from figuring it out on your own. Once you've done it all on your own, with a little guidance, you can stand back and be nothing but proud that you had accomplished what you thought was impossible.
8. The 3 W's
Where, What, Why?
Where am I going to go? Where am I going to live? Where can I find a job?
What am I going to do? What have I been doing for the past nine months? What experience do I have to put on my resume?
WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF?
9. The Goodbyes
Saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do. You're not only saying goodbye to your friends and the amazing people that you've met, you're saying goodbye to the place you've called your home for the past four years of your college career -- you're no longer living in the memories. This huge chapter of your life has finally come to a close, and no one is ever ready to say goodbye.
10. The Graduation
Congratulations, you now have a paper that you gave an arm and a leg for and will forever be paying off that unforgettable debt. But graduating is such an accomplishment that you should be praised for and proud of. Loss of sleep, weight gain, unlocking the next level of procrastination was all worth the smiles and cheers of walking across that stage to receive the one thing you knew would be the ultimate reward in the end.
11. The Real World Welcomes You
But have no fear -- no matter how poorly you thought that life was going to be this way, that your job's a joke, you're broke and your love life is DOA, no matter how stuck you are in second gear, your life will get better because that little piece of paper is going to open possibilities for you, the relationships you made will have forever changed you and the lessons you learned will assist you in every crossroad you're forced to face.
