When I finished my sophomore year last spring, I was ready to move on and finally become an upperclassman. I could not wait to have my own place, set my own rules, and actually feel like an adult for once. However, I did not prepare for the shock that was to come.

Maybe I’m just a baby, but I found that the transition from sophomore to junior year of college entails a lot more change than you would expect. I started my junior year just a couple weeks ago, and I was in for a real treat. 

As cliché as it sounds, it feels like just yesterday that I was sitting at Dobbs having Sunday brunch and then going back to my dorm room to watch Netflix in my twin-size bunk bed. Now, it’s already two years later and we’re over the hill here at Mizzou. Wow, that’s depressing.  

For most of us, junior year is the first time we are really living on our own. Living without parents for the first time freshman year is exciting, but it’s definitely not living on your own. Sophomore year, most of us live in our house in Greektown with a house mom, a house chef, and the rest of our pledge class, which is still not really living on your own. But, get ready for junior year, people, 'cause you are on your own. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty sweet to have your own place with no parents or house mom to lay down the law. But, suddenly, you are responsible for cleaning your own bathroom, scrubbing down your own kitchen, and cooking your own meals. The struggle is real. I even have to go grocery shopping, now. Momma, I miss you.  

Becoming a junior also means that your nightlife changes. For some reason, fraternity parties carry a freshmen-and-sophomore-only implied rule. This means that when our favorite frat is having a white trash bash, we’re not technically invited. Instead, we are expected to go to the same bars every night and spend all our money. I’m definitely not about this life -- I love the frats, I miss the frats, and I’m going to show up to the white trash bash, anyway.  

Even with my pitiful identity crisis of becoming a junior, growing up does still have its perks. I love finally having my own room with a big double bed that I can sprawl out in starfish-status. I love the fact that 64 of my pledge sisters and I all live in the same apartment building because we enjoyed living in-house together so much. I love the fancy Sunday sit-down dinners that my roommates and I prepare. I love that, finally, we can legally go to the bars and enjoy a night out as young adults. I love that I spend time with so many Greeks, not just in my own chapter. Most importantly, I love the fact that I know my junior year is going to be even better than the last.  

I didn't mean to throw a pity party or be the bearer of bad news. Rather, this is a heads-up for freshmen and sophomores -- cherish your first two years of college, because time goes by faster than you think. And juniors, we better do the same with our final two years. Good luck to us all!