My first year of college began in the fall of 2011, which feels like a completely different era to me nowadays. I was a baby-faced freshman, with so many hopes and dreams and expectations about what actually happened at college, and what my life would be like. Would I join a fraternity and become the stereotypical frat-bro, or get involved in a campus organization and completely change someone's mind about major topics like politics or global warming or proving that Han did indeed shoot first? I was leaving my small hometown of Beaufort, SC, and residing in a completely different part of the state, where no one knew me and I could reinvent myself. This was my big moment to shine. This was the start of my grand adventure. This was COLLEGE!

These feelings didn't survive for more than 4 months. I learned that there wasn't a large fraternity presence at Lander (even more so now), so the possibility of attending a frat party, let alone what some may call "a rager," was out of the question. I didn't really reinvent myself, more so I started to grow up, in small steps of course. The campus organizations at the time were also more faith-based, and while I do believe in my Christian faith, these were more aggressive in their message, and I wasn't about that life. I still went about making friends, many who have drifted into the winds of time as life has taken them to different paths, but I still have 2-3 that have stuck around and who will probably remain in my life, which I'm quite grateful for. Freshman year came and went, and I returned home to get through summer and wait for sophomore year.

The years passed at various speeds after that. People came in and out, some stayed, and I continued to grow. I found out that I was going to have to put much more time into my degree if I was going to obtain a teaching certification. This decision was one I regret on looking back, but at the time, I really wanted to pursue it. Sophomore year was a difficult one, as I was still adjusting to the college workload, but it went surprisingly fast. Junior year stretched on for far too long, but it too faded into the distance. Then came what was supposed to be my senior year, and with it, a very big change to my original plans

I had been switched around from one advisor to another for the past several years, so I had thought that the path that I was taking was the right one. After all, no one had ever really given me a direction. Turns out, if I continued on my current path, I would have to take multiple semesters over my original plan, as well as several tests. evaluations, and student teaching. I had to reach a decision about whether the road I was on was worth it at this point, as I had already started racking up all the major English credits that I needed. In the end, I changed over to being a jack-of-all-trades English major, with an advisor that was much more my speed and mentality. That shortened my stay at college, and for the best, as loans would begin to start piling up.

Finally, senior year came, and it turned out that I would at least be at Lander for another half of a semester once it was over. At this point, I was very disheartened. I was trying so hard to get out and enter the real world, and so I started to drift off. My work ethic began to diminish, and while I kept up with my friends, I started to recede inside myself. Eventually, I accepted that I would get another half lap of victory, but the almighty diploma would be at the end, and college was still worth it.

This past semester came and went, and I honestly feel like I missed a bunch of it. It's currently been 4 days since I graduated, and it hasn't really hit me yet. All the classes have been passed, I reached all the credit hours necessary. Yet after 5 1/2 years of staying up all night for assignments and school things, to just reach the point where you can say "cool, I'm done," is kind of difficult. Granted, I'm still focusing on the holidays, and trying to spend time with my family and friends. The graduation ceremony itself seems like a blur. To call the journey, after all this time, completed seems unrealistic. For those that are graduating soon, I can tell you that it does feel wonderful. But it will rock you. The moments of "so this is my life now..." will come to you more and more. You'll have more time to deal with things, but you'll also have to start sorting yourself into the professional world, meaning job searching and looking for places to live while possibly rooming with your parents for a bit, which is fine. The world is now more open to you than ever before. The best advice that I can give you is to not rush to enter it just yet. Take some personal time. Take more naps. Binge some shows. Keep a list of your goals, but make it more bite-sized, or you'll just end up stressing yourself out as soon as you've graduated. Just try to enjoy your life. Not enough people do that. After all, this was only the end of one grand adventure. Who knows what comes next?