I’m entering my senior year of college. Wow. Literally, where has the time gone? The last time I was considered a “top dog” at a school was when I was a senior in high school. So in honor of being a senior once again, or what my mother likes to fondly call a “senior citizen in college” I would like to reflect on the differences between my senior year of high school and what my senior year of college is going to look like.
First, the timing of everything is completely different once you become a senior in college. In high school, you have that feeling of invincibility; in college, you have that feeling of vulnerability. Senior year of high school, I felt like I was on top of the world, literally, once you got into college, you were done. Senior year of college, man is your world about to spiral out of control. It’s like senior year of high school on steroids. The possibility that after your senior year of college you go into the real world and get a job is absolutely terrifying to me, so what do I do? I will go to graduate school so I can put off being an actual adult for a few more years. I mean what’s scarier? I think the fact that I would be responsible for a full time all-American citizen as well as thousands of dollars plus a possible house to take care of? I mean that just sounds so intimidating to me. It’s like applying to college all over again, but the stakes are even higher.
(via agonybooth.com)
Secondly, the living space is completely different. In high school, you lived with your parents. You had a curfew and someone who watched everything you did every second of the day. You went to school for a set number of hours Monday-Friday and your life was basically one big scheduled plan. In college, you live in an apartment with your friends. That party that happened in your apartment Saturday night? You had to learn the hard way how to get wine stains out of a carpet and how to really expand a dollar to the best of your ability. College teaches you a ton of real life stuff that when you get out into the real world, it doesn’t seem as bad. You learned how to adjust your sleep to make sure you dragged yourself out of bed for that dreaded 8:00 a.m. class (which you still can’t believe you were able to wake up for high school at like 6:30). You pulled an all-nighter at least once in your college career because procrastination definitely gets the best of you. Your roommate has been your alarm clock for more occasions than you care to admit and while you might hate them at times, you really can’t deny that they become your lifeline during college.
Entering into my senior year of college, I would also like to mention how much I’ve changed not only as a student, but as a person. I’ve mastered the art of writing a paper the night before despite the professor’s recommendation to start it three weeks before. At least I think I’ve mastered the art, that’s up for debate. More importantly, I’ve had so many experiences that really helped me become the adult I am today. Restraint, for example, is shown when you really want to go out with your friends on a Thursday night, but you have that 8 a.m. class on Friday that you’re regretting, so you snuggle into your bed and begrudgingly stay home while all your friends are out. College has taught me so many life lessons, and I as much as I don’t want to leave college, I am definitely excited for the next and final year that college holds for me.
Senior year, here we come!
(via cheerlemage.com)
