Whether you are approaching your freshmen or super-senior year of college as an undergrad, one thing does not alter, you will grow as an individual. For most freshmen, this is your first time away from the parents and you are somewhat independent. On the other hand, last year students are busy trying to find a job in the ever-revolving "real world" while keeping as much youthfullness alive as long as humanly possible. College is a whole new world full of late night Taco Bell runs and cramming for 8 AM tests the night before. In college, you not only learn about yourself but also about who you can trust for coffee runs and heart to hearts at 3 AM. You find lifetime friends and slowly metaphorisize into the person you never knew you needed to be. College is serious and fun at the same time. Compared to highschool, it is a dream come true for a lot of students. Cafeteria food is no longer the ONLY option for lunch, and Fried Chicken Friday has never tasted better. Though missing home is more common in the lowerclassmen, it never quite leaves for any student, and holidays suddenly mean so much more than good food and presents. Family is a top priority, and you are actually happy to have conversations with that one relative who used to bother the crap out of you at every family get-together.

While freshmen have the luxury of around the next four years to prepare for the real world, seniors are facing the unprecedented reality much sooner than anticipated. Freshmen are excited for the new experience of college, but seniors tend to have minor second thoughts on why college seemed to fly by so quickly, and was there any way to slow it down? And though both groups are excited in their own ways, it is the seniors who are about to become the new bread-winners. They are the future of society, and the pressure is on. Knowing there is a world outside of the college atmosphere seemed so unrelatable until now. Job application after job application begins to pile up and a small hint of panic lines every day without a job post-graduation. Nevertheless, graduation approaches, and friends move away. The same friends you met in freshmen year at welcome week dancing to the top hits of the year and stuffing your face with pizza at the tender age of 18 is standing behind you in a cap and gown preparing for life after college. Everyone is going their separate ways, and the best way to not cry is to laugh at all the memories and smile at your forever friends, because that is exactly what they are. These friends have seen you anywhere from PJs and no makeup to formals complete with manis and pedis.

You see, college has never been about staying the same. It is about coming into a new atmosphere and growing together on this adventure called life. It is about seasons of growth which includes love and heartbreak, celebration and defeat. College is about making your own decisions for a better you and influncing others to better themselves as well. It is about making stupid decisions and learning from them. College is one of the most pivotal moments in life, but if you are not careful, it will slip away before you even realized how great it was. Cherish the good times, and learn from the bad, but always grow and become a better you.