As another school is year is about to start, a whole new group of freshmen, equipped with pop-up hampers, dining dollars, and space-saving clothes hangers is sent off to begin their collegiate adventure. And despite the diverse backgrounds and walks of life from which these students come, they are all inevitably given the same advice: "Treasure these next four years, because they're going to be the best years of your life." But I believe otherwise. I refuse to let my college years be the best years of my life, and so should you.
On the surface, it's easy to understand why people, particularly adults, tell young people that the college years are the best. After all, we enjoy a perfect balance of responsibility and independence. We get to live with our friends and make our own decisions about our day-to-day lives, while still not paying for most of our own expenses. And in exchange, all we have to do is study and take some tests every now and then. We can change our majors, join clubs, go to parties, and meet other like-minded individuals all within the comforts of a college campus.
But as great as college is, to say that it's the best part of your life is just too depressing for me. For starters, college usually takes place when you're 18-22 years old. This means that after these four years, my life will supposedly never be as enjoyable again, and it will all be downhill for as long as I live. And maybe it just comes down to mindset, but I refuse to be a person who spends their whole life looking backward instead of forward. I refuse to "peak" in college, and am determined to constantly change and grow as I get older.
I believe that as people grow and develop throughout their lives, so too do their goals and desires. To a high school student living at home who has been in the same place his entire life, college provides the perfect opportunity to meet new and diverse people while simultaneously becoming more independent. Yet after years of college, this same student may hope to soon put to use the new skills they has learned.
Furthermore, a parent may long for the days when they could party and live on someone else's dollar, yet I doubt they would give up the joys of raising children in exchange. Personally, I look forward to when I can become completely independent and stable, making my own living through my career, while still being relatively young.
So, yes, college is an amazing time of life--it's the time to make great memories and great friends. But don't try to overcompensate because you think it will never get better than this. Realize that every period of your life will be full of new and wonderful things to look forward to, and try to make the most of it. Otherwise, you'll realize you were always looking back and never looking forward.
