As I signed up for my last semester of college this morning, I couldn't help but reflect on the years I have spent here. I ended up asking myself a lot of tough questions and having to come up with some answers for myself. So here are some things we probably all think about as we begin to see the end of our college careers.
1. Did I do it all?
Did I actually learn anything in the past few years? If I had to write down a list of the things I actually learned, would it be longer than a page?
Actually, you have learned a lot. Not just about your major or concentration, but also about life. For most of us, college is the first time we get to live on our own. We have learned how to take care of ourselves and be independent and functioning members of society. How cool is that? Now we get to take this plethora of knowledge we have acquired throughout the years and apply it to our everyday lives. That's something to get excited about.
3. Am I prepared?
Can I ACTUALLY live on my own and pay all my own bills and feed myself something more than ramen noodles and do laundry more than once a month and have an actual real life job and...
Slow down, take a deep breath, and relax. You CAN do it and you WILL do it. You have been preparing yourself to juggle all of these responsibilities throughout your whole college career. Between juggling tests and papers and exams, trust me, you are more than qualified to handle other responsibilities. While they are different than college responsibilities and they probably carry more weight, multitasking has become second nature to most of us and that is a valuable skill in life.
4. Do I really have to leave?
While we have been looking forward to graduation for a while now, it is sad to leave a place that we have spent so much time at. The excitement of starting a new job and getting a new place to live takes up 95% of my thoughts, but the other 5% is filled with a sense of nostalgia that I know I will have. It will be kind of sad not to go to my favorite spot on campus anymore or not see my friends walking to class every day.
The struggle of being a student is universally known on a college campus, but when you leave, you just have to suck it up and tough it out. It is probably not acceptable to wear a snuggie to work like you did to class and you probably aren't allowed to look like you just rolled out of bed when you go to a work meeting. But there is beauty in letting go of college and starting your life in the real world.
While graduating college is very exciting and possibly the biggest milestone in your life, there are some aspects that are scary or sad. But push through them and get pumped up about your life outside of the university because it is going to be a w e s o m e. Take the things you have learned and apply them to your every day life and you will be fine.
