This afternoon, I was packing up some of my clothes (I leave Sunday, and this is considered early packing for me) and it hit me that I only have one year of college left. It's certainly flown by, and honestly, college has been the best part of my life so far. I look forward to the future ahead and, who knows, maybe I'll have even more amazing experiences than I did in college! I have some tips for those of you who are entering your last year or even beginning your first year of higher education.

Consider what you want to do as a career.

I started thinking about my future last year, as I realized that I can't live in my parent's attic forever after college. My parents, while they love me very much, don't want me in their attic forever either. I have always felt a call to do something bigger and deeper than just sitting in a cubicle and hunching over a keyboard.

While everyone has to start somewhere, my intentions are not to be in a cubicle my entire career! I don't even know if I want to jump into a career immediately after graduation. I've spent nearly twenty years of my life in a classroom and I may want to take a break. At the same time, I definitely do not want to sit at home and do nothing.

So, I've been looking at different options. In a year, I could be doing missions work overseas, a fellowship in Pittsburgh or a barista job at Starbucks down the street from my parent's house. I could also be interning at a graphic design company or working a desk job somewhere in Chicagoland. I don't know, however, what I'll end up doing.

Cultivate friendships and work through problems

Another thing I've been mulling over lately is friendship; specifically, my own friendships.

Last year, a friend group that I was a part of had a falling out and this friendship was, sadly, never the same again after that. I was hurt and shocked by it, and the event split our group irreparably to the point that some of us do not even speak to each other anymore.

I would absolutely hate for this to happen to any of you, and I am still processing the fallout from that experience. My advice is if you are having problems, talk about it. Do not let them brew until explosion. Additionally, please, please value your friends; they see the good, the bad and the ugly in you and this is one of the rare times in your life that you are with your friends 24/7. Take it to heart and make your time spent together count, because you don't know where you'll be next year.

One other major piece of friendship advice, that I'm giving just as much to myself as I am to you readers, is do not be afraid to cultivate new relationships. Yes, you're here only one more year. Yes, it will hurt to leave. Yes, it will break your heart and theirs come May. But that to me, is all the more reason to be unafraid to create new friendships. When you're sad to leave people, it means you shared significant time and love with each other. That is an amazing and wonderful gift.

Social media is also a blessing because we can keep up with each other. It also makes face-to-face time much more valued. Some of my closest friends graduated last year and I know months and years will go by before I see them again. I have plans with one of those girls this semester; her name is Cassy and I cannot wait to hang out with her, and I will cherish the time spent with her.

I also made some incredibly close friends last year; they are all incoming juniors and love to tease me about how old I am compared to them. These ladies, though, have proven to be some of the truest and best friends I've ever had simply because of their presence. They value me for who I am and not because I'm cool (spoiler alert: I am most definitely not cool). I'm glad to have friends younger than me, and their age makes no difference in the depth of friendship we have. I don't feel like I have to be an advice machine or the mom of the group; I can simply be the same person I always am. I encourage you to find people like this if you haven't done so already.

Enjoy yourself

Go to events, football games and stay up late laughing with your friends. This is the time of your life to do "collegey" things. Take the time to be with someone when they need you. Don't spend all your time locked in your room working on homework. Of course, you should keep up with your classwork and academic commitments, however, do not regard them as more important than your peers, your spiritual life or your family; sometimes, people just have to come first. You will find time to do those assignments if you know how to manage your time (maybe it means staying up late one night).

Take lots of pictures; good ones, not just silly Snapchats or selfies. Maybe you can show them to your kids one day.

You're not alone

Lastly, the Lord is behind you every step of the way, and He is mighty to save. Do not hesitate to call on Him in the good times as well as the bad times. In the end, He's the one constant in our lives. Keep up with your spiritual life, go to worship regularly and pray.

I hope all of you have a great year and I'll be continuing to write articles until the end of May next year!