During my freshman year of college, I decided that I was going to graduate in three years, instead of the traditional four-year program. Coming into college, I had enough AP credits that I was able to accomplish this without too much strain on my life. However, it has caused various rises and falls of emotion along the way.

I am currently halfway done with my second year, meaning I only have one and a half more years until I have to decide what is the next step of my life. This is now something that is terrifying me. I was not always scared about the thought of graduating a year earlier. I thought of it as exciting and thrilling. I could not wait to get into the real world and start my own life. Friends and peers would always ask me why I was doing it or why I did not want to stay at school longer and enjoy the ride. I would always tell them that I was ready to get out of school and start doing something different for a change. After being in school for over 15 years, I am ready to try something new. Which is something that I continue to think, but reality is starting to set in.

Even with a whole other year following this one, I have started to feel more and more pressure and fear about what I am going to do with my life. I have realized that I have to figure out what is next. I have to decide if I need to start thinking about grad school or what job I want to get or what internship I should strive for. My initial excitement about being done with my college days in three years comes and goes. Everyone tells me these are the days that you should cherish and want to last forever, but I feel a little differently. I am definitely cherishing these moments in my life and trying to make wonderful memories, but I do not feel the need to make them last forever. I am ready for a new adventure, but this then piles on the stress about trying to figure out how I am going to make it in the real world

I know I have support from my friends and family to make it through these couple more years of school, and I know that they will help me figure out the right path. These college years are definitely going to continue to be a roller coaster of emotions while I go up with the peak of excitement and fall to the depths of fear. But I am ready to embrace them and see what is going to happen in the future.