If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already packed. You’ve got an overnight bag because you heard you should pack light. You’ve heard of dorm rooms being like cramped little closets, and where are you going to breathe if you pack your whole closet like your mom told you to? Yes, you’ve already packed your clothes and your posters, bought your books, wrote "First Day!" in your planner in cursive that looks like it should be on a wedding card.

You’re leaving tomorrow morning but you pack the car the night before. Your mom wants to take a picture of her little adult standing by the car, a cheesy one with your arm leaning on the cold metal of the trunk. You want to protest, of course - you’re an adult now, for crying out loud, and you just turned 18 two weeks ago—doesn’t that mean anything around here? Of course, you want to protest, but you won’t, because—hate to break it to you—you’re an adult now.

Yes, adulthood, the awesome responsibility of loans, paychecks, insurance and more awaits and the Type A in you is thrilled for really any responsibility beyond getting your reading log signed. Oh, how you can’t wait to get to college. Get out of college. Take over the world in three easy steps and seriously, all the power to you. You’re an adult now and perfectly capable of taking on all real-world responsibilities like… bills and such - but it’s also important to note that being an adult, also, unfortunately, comes with being an adult.

Let me explain.

Being an adult is more than just being prepared for the monetary problems that are assuredly coming your way. It comes with the soul-crushing truth that the story of your life that was supposed to be YOUR name in flashing lights has little to nothing to do with you at all.

You’ll be glad to know that it starts off pretty slow, but it doesn’t stay that way. You compromise on movie night to what everyone else wants, you don’t want to make a fuss over anything. Then you trade in your favorite breakfast place because you wanted to spend more time with your friend who eats breakfast across campus.

Before you know it your former life of writing your yearly Christmas list with everything you wanted now becomes your yearly Christmas list with everything you’ve heard your friends say in casual conversation over the past weeks. When you had a free hour to do whatever, you called your mom because she asked, and she talks about her day for two hours.

It sounds scary and pretty awful and maybe it has already happened to you. If it has you know it’s not so bad. Sure you had plans to get a neon sign with your name to hang over your museum when you got super famous, and maybe you’ll still do that. But having friends and family in your life that makes you feel like every day will be something great? Who needs neon signs anyway?

And hey, at least this article is all about you - congrats!