The second I finished the fall semester, I was officially a lower level senior. What does that mean exactly? It means that I have exactly 12 months before I leave the protective bubble that is college life and am thrust into the world of bills and paying for my own dental insurance. I think it is safe to say that there are many reasons why senior year of college is totally different than senior year of high school, but I shall only name six.
1. There is much more at stake.
I have many friends who went from high school right to the workforce, but as someone who was in the warm safety net of undergraduate living, the task of suddenly being forced to actual be a full fledged adult is daunting. It comes with bills, salaries, 401ks, and cover letters. I feel as if I'm prepared for all this responsibility being thrown upon me like a ton of bricks, but there is still some anxiety that comes with an impending graduation. The things I once thought were years away is now a mere 12 months.
2. I have to be an adult.
I can already feel the eye rolls with this one, but it's true. When I left high school and went straight to college, I still had a lot of growing up to do. I had never been away from my family for more than a weekend, but now I see them once every six to eight weeks maybe. Now that I am preparing to graduate college, I'm sure there is going to be far more growing up to do, but the messy process such as figuring out where the fabric softener dispenser is and realizing just how expensive everything is should be over by now. My frantic calls to my parents about how to fill out FAFSA or if I can heat up chicken on a paper plate in the microwave will seem far more pathetic post-college.
3. College applications are replaced with job applications.
Like I'm talking jobs that give you health insurance and salaries. When I was in high school, my first job involved me being in a bunny suit. There will be no jobs like that post-college. Soon my job applications will turn into law school applications and still manage to be far more stressful than any college application I filled out my senior year of high school.
4. I have to pay back my college loans now.
You know all those loans you gladly accepted as you were overseeing your financial aid, senior year of high school me? That wasn't free money and now you have to pay that back six months after you graduate college.
Although I'm anxious to see what my senior year of college brings, I am excited for the new chapter in my life. Leaving college and entering the adult world is scary and fascinating at the same time.
