As my time as an undergraduate student winds down, I can’t help but reminisce about the years I’ve spent at this institution. It feels like yesterday that my parents were dropping me off at my dorm (cliché I know, but true). College introduced me to a level of freedom that I had never experienced before and it has been an experience that I can definitely say has developed me into the person I am today.

One of the things that college has gifted me with is new friendships. I’ve developed friendships that I know will last a lifetime. However, it’s gonna suck not being able to simply meet up on campus to see them like it has always been.

No more trips to the dining hall, no more Thirsty Thursdays, or Mug Nights. As we all continue on to our own separate paths, I am thankful to have met some of these people and cannot wait to see what life has in store for us all.

They say after college is when the real world starts. When I think about it, I truly didn’t have many worries in college. My problems throughout the years, only now, seem so small:

What am I gonna wear to this party? Will I be able to get a good parking spot on campus? Do I want Chick-Fil-A or Bleecker Street today? I really wanted that A+ but I got a B- instead. As my time here comes to an end, I realize how silly these “problems” were.

I now have less than a month until I graduate and though I may tell you “I’m so ready” when asked about it, deep down it scares the hell out of me. The summers that I would anxiously wait for, praying the semester would fly by, have come and gone. I find myself asking, “what was I rushing for?”

Times spent at the library with friends, having the freedom to do as I please, and taking advantage of the various things this campus has to offer are things that I probably should’ve cherished a little more.

These last few days of the semester have been nothing but completing cover letters, editing resumes, and trying to figure out exactly what in the WORLD I am gonna do after I graduate. It’s starting to set in that I finally have to put on my big girl panties and take my first steps into the “real word.” I have to worry about things like finding a career that I enjoy, medical insurance (I’m getting kicked off of my dad’s right after I graduate. Great), and things of that nature.

Though I don’t have it all figured out, I understand that that’s okay! It’s okay to not have your whole life planned out ahead of time and to take time to figure it all out along the way. Regardless, I am able to look back and see just how far I’ve come and only develop high hopes for my unpredictable future.