For me, senior year has a similar but different meaning than for most. I'll be graduating with the new friends that I made during the past year (my first year at UMass) and the future friends that I'll make in my last. However, I'll be thinking about all of the great people that I left at my previous school and I will leave college never truly knowing what it would have been like to have gone to the one school for all four years.
Senior year symbolizes all of the typical things that it would for anyone else, except my emotions are mainly filled with nostalgia. I'll be graduating next year with new friends while missing old ones, but also never forgetting any of the memories that I made each year at college because they are simply unforgettable. I know that they will stick with me every year following graduation, just as they did during my transition from one school to another.
Despite my unique experience, I think that we can all relate to these few fears, thoughts, and good times that lie ahead of us as we enter our senior year:
1. The thought of doing school work annoys the crap out of you.
You’d rather be doing other things like spending time with your friends, going out, taking naps, or having a dance party in your room rather than doing school work. Hey, there’s only one more year of college left and who wants to be stuck in the library for the thousandth time? Completing the work will get you the degree, but admit it, you'd much rather be doing something fun.
2. Knowing that next year at this time you’ll probably have a job lined up.
Right now, this thought is frightening. It feels like your final year will be the last one of freedom and fun, doesn’t it? You can only hope and imagine that there is some type of fun in life after college but who’s to say we even know. Having a job sounds fun and making a salary will be cool too, but what about staying up all night, going to parties, and hanging out with friends on the weekends? Will that all go away? The unknown is driving you insane. The only thing left to do is to live your last year to the fullest.
3. Realizing that just one more year of college isn't enough.
You fear that, with only one year of college left, your bucket list of things to do before you leave will not be as short by the end as you anticipate. There is still so much left to do before graduation and simply too much work to do until then. Once we all get back to school we will realize that just one more year will not be nearly enough for all of it. Make the most of your last year and have as much fun as possible.
4. Nostalgia
It always comes with the final year, month, or day of anything. Thinking back on the memories you've made throughout college thus far and never wanting them to end. Although, making memories in life after graduation sounds kind of exciting, you'll still always miss college for so many reasons, and you're constantly going to wish you were back.
5. Wondering how you’ll say goodbye to your friends at the end of the year.
The friends that you make and spend so much time with, lived with, studied with, played a sport with, and partied with in college meant and still mean a lot to you. You're especially looking forward to all of the memories that you'll make together, and although you're trying so hard not to think about it, you absolutely dread the day that you'll have to go your separate ways. Thankfully, you'll be able to keep in touch. Good thing for cell phones!
6. Thinking about all of the fun "college things" you'll need to do in only one school year.
Like drinking wine out of the biggest glass imaginable, going to every football tailgate/game wearing your school colors, or ordering pizza/wings at 2 a.m. because you know that you'll never have an excuse to do that ever again. To go to every bar in your college town and to eat at every restaurant because who knows when you'll be back to enjoy all that they have to offer.
7. Wondering if there is actually life after graduation?
Is there any fun once you have to work every day? There's more money, yes, maybe some more independence? But for some of us our future holds an uneventful time ahead filled with living in our parent's basement or being so stressed out about work that the fun times that we had in college seem much more distant than they should.
Good thing I still have one more year to go! Cheers to all of the seniors out there!!!! Make the most of it! I know I'm going to!
Dear College, in less than one year from now, I'll miss you.
