Life is never static. Time is constantly passing; days come and go, years fly by and suddenly tomorrow is today, and yesterday became 10 years ago. Of course, college is the same. It's so hard to remember, during the stress of tests, labs, work, internships, balancing all the duties of college students, this time is limited. Like most other stages of life, the college years are years that can sneak by without warning.
For four years (plus or minus a semester or two), you get to be surrounded by your peers on a campus full of researchers, athletes, scholars and thinkers. For four years, you get to live within a 10-mile radius of your closest friends. You get to go out to stupid parties, utilizing the convenient public transportation system. You get to go to festivals, on hikes and to concerts without a worry in the world. You get to sit in a room full of people who want to learn. You get to live in limbo.
College is an in-between stage. You've graduated your childhood but haven't quite yet taken the leap into full adulthood. You have responsibilities, but you also have people who care enough to make sure you're staying on top of them. You get to learn about the world without having to experience it fully.
We get caught up. We forget this academic stress is limited. That this stress has an end. That this stress of getting an education is really a blessing. You are learning constantly. You are growing constantly. You are being challenged, not just in academics but in being human, constantly.
Yes, exams and grades are important. But, so are you. So are your relationships. Yes, college is about getting an education. But, more importantly, college is about getting an experience. Allow yourself to change. Allow yourself to try all of the new things you were always too scared to try. Make yourself take risks.
Most importantly, be thankful. Be thankful now. That your friends understand your struggles exactly right now because they have the same ones. That you get to stay in with your best friends to eat pizza and throw a dance party because you all survived your midterms.
Don't let college slip by. Don't let yourself be so overwhelmed by the stress you forget to be overwhelmed by the excitement.
Be thankful for your college struggles; they are shaping you for your life struggles. After college, everything is going to change. People are going to move home. People are going to move across the country. Your friends are going to start making new friends. They're going to start pursuing their dream jobs, their dream lives. They're going to start their families and continue living. And, so are you.
Please remember to soak these years in. Please remember your education is a privilege. Please remember to thank your friends for helping mold you into who you are. Remember to be thankful for your college years before they're just memories.
