Most people wouldn’t dare to give me, someone who still has wears TMNT sweaters, the prestigious title of “adult”. This also stands for the vast majority of my friends, their ages ranging from 18- 23. It is helpful to know that while I may not have my life together, no one else around me seems to either. But every now and then I run into the odd people that do consider me an adult and for them- I have developed a list of reasons to assure them otherwise.

1. I don’t have a fixed source of income.

At the moment, I am a full-time student with a range of extracurricular activities and a mile-high pile of homework. Which means that a huge portion of my time is already being consumed by these things. I would, of course, love to have a job, there is only the simple issue of time and my lack thereof. I am not the only one, a lot of my friends have the same issue. It is not that we are choosing to bum so much as we seem to have no other option.

2. I take as many naps as I can fit into my schedule.

I don’t care that it’s lunchtime, I’m running on three hours of sleep.

3. I can't tell you the last time I washed these pants.

Don’t judge, everyone is my dorm decides to wash their clothes on the same day, so until a machine opens up…

4. I can't remember the last time I had a balanced meal.

In fact, my meal plan for today was as follows:

Breakfast: a stale cupcake and a coffee

Lunch: a monster energy drink and a slice of cafeteria pizza

Dinner: I took a nap.

5. I refuse to call and order pizza or to call a doctor.

I have a huge phobia attached to ordering food over the phone. If only you could make doctor appointments online.

6. I still haven't done my taxes

I still have a day or two.

7. I have to call my mom and ask how to do basically any adult-like task.

Most of my questions stem from making appointments, what to say once I’ve established these appointments, and the complete ignorance of the tax doing process.

8. If I was required to dress formally, I'd have to go shopping.

Nothing says “hire me” like a pair of stained leggings and a band tee.

9. I mooch everything, from everyone.

This one tends to annoy people, but any broke college student has been there.

10. It’s a struggle to put any priority over sleep.

From skipping 8am’s to skipping out on social outings, I will turn down basically anything to catch up on sleep. While staying in is no big deal, missing class has become a bit of an issue.

There is an image attached to the word “adult” that everyone seems to have preset from an early age. As we continue to grow older, this magic transition from child to adult does not happen overnight as we might have expected. It’s a process and the end results aren’t ultimate. Every person we see as successfully “adulting” does so differently. So if you do not meet the standards you originally had set for adults, you should not be so harsh on yourself. The biggest part of being an adult is figuring out how you are an adult, and that is something one does over a long course of trial and error- and several phone calls to mom.