This is has definitely been the scariest beginning to a school year for me, ever. Despite the fact that I’ve been at this for 3 years now, entering my fourth and last year of college has got me shaking in my boots like freshman year never could.
1. The future is almost here
Throughout my college career, the impending graduation, and thus, beginning of full adult life and an actual career, have always been a distant thing. It was something in the future that I didn’t really have to pin down at this exact moment, but as the year begins, this means that in less than a year from now, I am expected to have a job, have an apartment, and have my life together, while, in fact, my life is a mess at the moment. I am struggling to keep it all together, and I don’t even have all the responsibilities of an adult; that’s scary AF.
2. These are the last two semesters ever
Even if you are going to med school, or graduate school, or whatever other school after undergrad, this is the last time you will be an undergraduate student at your university, you will still never be in the same circumstances as you are now. You will never be with the same classmates, at the same place, at this exact time. This is the end of an era and an end to a chapter of your life. You have spent the majority of life in school, like a whole lot of your life in school, and it’s all about to end. You haven’t not done school since you were 3 or 4, and now you will most likely never do it in the same capacity again; that’s scary AF.
3. Everything will change
Despite the fact that I want to think I’m ready to fly out of the nest full force, I am definitely not. I miss my mom and my bed way too often to be considered a full-fledged adult, and I can barely make myself a balanced meal, let alone be wholly responsible for my well-being. And in a year, I won’t be in my own bed, I won’t have my mom to make me meals, and I won’t even be around the same people as I am now; that’s scary AF.
4. You will never be the same
Growing up changes you. I am not the same person who left high school, I’m not even the same person that started my junior year a year ago, and under such a huge change, you are bound to evolve with it. You will probably not like the song that is popular on the radio because it will be overplayed, you will probably not like how you did your eyeliner this year, and you will probably grow out of many of your current behaviors. Now this is for sure super scary, but it is also amazing; but you know, scary AF.
But you will learn to make a good meal, you will learn to have a budget, you will learn to negotiate a contract, and you will learn to have confidence in the workplace. This may not be remotely close to your skill sets now, but you will be able to adult eventually. Because this is just one out of many phases in your life, and change is hard, but inevitable and necessary for you to grow and develop as another human on this earth. And remember, there are millions of kids just like you, right now, that are struggling to decide whether they can put that Styrofoam to-go contain in the microwave, and no, you should definitely not do that.
