So as the summer before my senior year comes to a close, I can't help but feel anxious about the year ahead of me. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at a desk, one of 30, listening to my teacher tell me about Christoper Columbus and the trick to multiplying by nine. It seems like just yesterday I would get home from school and watch "Rocket Power" or "Cat Dog." Then, in the blink of an eye, I'm a college senior about to close one chapter in my life and start a new one. Where, exactly, did the time go?
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to graduate and start my life and see what the world has in store for me. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little terrified. Thoughts are constantly running through my mind and include but are not limited to: Will I get a job right away? Will I get into grad school? Will I be able to keep in touch with everyone? Will I move back home? Will I live out of state? Will I make enough money? And the list goes on and on. I know I am not the only one who has these questions. I know that these thoughts run through the majority of everyone's minds as they approach senior year, and I know we are all equally terrified. When asked about being a senior in college and whether or not we are excited, we usually try to put on a smile and try to make it seem as if we are not in the least bit worried.
Now, senior year is not all anxiety and worry about the adult world that is to come, it is also a last chance to enjoy college with your friends and make it the best year possible. There are certainly upsides to being a senior in college. I mean you and all your friends are finally 21, you have the whole college thing down and if you're one of the lucky ones you get to take on a lighter workload. Plus, come spring you get to relax a little and even have a whole week dedicated to you.
There's definitely mixed emotions approaching senior year of college. I am nervous about the road ahead of me and whether or not I will fall flat on my face or succeed. But I am also excited about starting a new chapter in my life; finally using what I learned in school and getting to apply it firsthand. The nervousness I feel is accompanied by anticipation, for where my life is going to lead me. I am definitely a believer in taking life day by day, and who knows, maybe 365 days from now I'll be on a different continent. I am relieved about leaving school and seeing the finish line as being so close. All the late-night cram sessions and over-caffeinated mornings have finally paid off. All the mental breakdowns and threats to drop out will soon come to a close. But this is met by sentimentality, and the sadness I feel about having all the memories I made at school come to an end. When it comes time, it's definitely going to be hard to get used to not living down the hall from my closest friends. So like I said, there's definitely mixed emotions.
As the final days of summer dwindle away, I can't help but feel excited about approaching my senior year, accompanied by the sadness I am going to feel about leaving my friends, paired with the anxiety of finding a post-grad job, but mostly grateful that I finally get to hold a degree in my hand in less than a year from now and say, "I did it."
