In preschool, we thought drawing was hard. In elementary, we thought times tables were impossible. In junior high, we didn't think we'd survive running the mile for P.E. In high school, we thought tests after every few chapters were difficult. Here we are, in college, currently taking the biggest test of our lives thus far - the test of life.

Think about it, moving away from home is the first section of the test. Can you handle living on your own without your parents' daily help and guidance? The next section is testing you on how you can adapt to your new surroundings. Can you make new friends easily? Can you be self-sufficient? Even the little things are a test. Can you do your own laundry? Can you make Easy Mac without forgetting the water and setting off the fire alarms? (You'd be surprised how many people failed that).

No one expects you to have a perfect score at this point. This test is meant to teach you through your mistakes.

Now freshman year is over... If you thought that was as hard as it was going to get, oh sweetie I have bad news for you. As you progress into sophomore and junior year of college, this test becomes more difficult. Instead of benchmarking your common sense competence, you are now being tested on your mental toughness. How well can you perform under extreme stress? How much pressure can you take before you reach your breaking point? How much can you fill your plate before it's too full? Nobody claimed that college was easy. Nobody will tell you it's a test - you have to figure that out for yourself. This is not the kind of test you can cheat on either, so don't try looking over the shoulder of the person sitting next to you.

Now we move on to the final section of the test - senior year. This may be the most important section of all. This section is when you will be tested on everything and anything you may think of. Where will you live after college? Where will you work? Are you able to take on the responsibility for all your bills, legal documents, taxes, and insurance? Are you ready to be a real adult, not an "almost" adult? You see, in college when you do bad, you get a bad grade. But in the real world, when you do bad, you get fired. In college, you seldom ever get re-dos, in real life even more so.

I can speak from experience and say that this test is not easy. Most of the time I don't know what the heck I'm doing. Other times I'm tempted to rip the test in half and walk out of the classroom. But that's not the solution, because like it or not, life (adult life) is coming. No one is guaranteed to pass in life, just like no one is guaranteed to pass college. You can prepare yourself by accepting change and adapting to your new circumstance each and every day. You can wake up every morning determined to have a better day than the day before. This is your test, you can take it however you want. Just always keep in mind that it is designed so that no one will ever get a perfect score.