Seems like just yesterday your parents were dropping you off at college, doesn’t it? The day every mother and father dreaded, or anticipated, once you graduated high school.

Sitting here now, I remember every moment of that day. I was beyond excited but extremely nervous to begin this new journey into the college world. The moment that sticks out most is when my father waved his final good-bye and a sad look washed over his face. Even though I had decided to attend a college that was only 20 minutes from home, it was still a huge change for him. I was his little girl and there he was sending me off to my freshman year of college.

Then the next year arrived. Sophomore year was already here. New friends. New room and roommate. It was a fun year but it was over before I knew it.

Then it was junior year. The final year before you have to put your foot down and get all your ducks straight for the real world. The year in which all your friend and yourself turn 21! Or as everybody says “Twenty-Fun!” Then just like that, it’s over.

Here we are three years later, preparing for the beginning of our senior year. Scary right? How had those three years fly by so fast?

All the job applications, interviews, or even grad school application begin to flow in. Our schedule books are full to the brim of things to complete this year. It seems like high school all over again. I begin to feel all the stress build up. Then I remember, I am not alone. Every college senior out there is in the same little boat lost out in the vast ocean.

Soon we will all enter the adult world whether it grad school or the job world. Things will change, but don’t forget to take a step back and breathe in the fresh air. Make every moment of this year unforgettable. Don’t let all the applications and interviews take over your life. Take some time and spend it with your friends. Soon you will all be going your separate ways onto the next path of your journey. Even though these friends will be forever, you will no longer be able to see them every day. Cherish every moment this year, because in the end when you walk across that stage, you can smile and remember all the great memories you made. All those sleepless nights, early morning coffee runs, and laughs at midnight will help push through the end of this journey.

Go to as many school events as you can because soon you will be in the Alumni section. Soon we really will be walking across that stage again as we receive our degrees. Soon we will be saying our final good-byes to the place we called “Home” for four long, difficult years. Soon we will be receiving a final hug from our closest friends as depart our ways knowing this time there is no “until next year.” Soon everything we have known these past four years will change. Don’t rush what little time you have left. Make every moment matter because in less than two week our senior year will be in full swing. Don’t’ forget to take a deep breath and enjoy this final year at the place you call “Home.”