When did it become July? When did summer decide it's halfway done? When did college pass by faster than my bank account draining after a shopping spree? I'm genuinely uncomfortable with how fast my time as a college student has flown by. People always tell me how fast time goes once you start college, but I didn't believe them. Not until now, as I sit and write this article dumbfounded by the fact that I'm an incoming college senior.

I feel like we all just moved into our dorms as scared, wide-eyed little freshmen with the world at our fingertips, unsure of who we would turn out to be as we grew into more mature adults. Some people took maturity and rocked with it, while others still have the maturity of an eighteen year old fresh out of high school. We're all different in some way though, for better because of the worst. Maybe in not all cases, but in a lot of them, we all had to go through some really rough times to get to the better ones.

This is basically our last summer of freedom before life begins. Like a kick in the gut, we'll be thrown out into a world without professors to remind us of deadlines and friends right down the hall or the road. Everyone is going to go their own way as they see fit for their future. Even best friends from home won't be at home just like they have been every summer, and that's an even harder thing to think about. We're all going to have to start over again.

College gave us access to everything we could ask for. We can go to the gym for free, join Greek Life, join club sports, and just about any other club you can think of. In the world waiting for us outside of college, we have the people we work with, and that's about it unless you join something else outside of work. It's not going to be easy to find like-minded people, but it's not totally impossible.

It's exciting to think about what the future holds for all of us. We've worked our asses off for four years and we're all ready to never have to see a library or a crowded university parking lot ever again. No more dining hall food, or ex-roommates, friends, or boyfriends/girlfriends to dodge when you're on the way to and from class. We're going to finally be doing what we've been learning about the last four years. We're going to find our forever person, get married, and have families and pets. Life will settle into everything we've dreamed of since we were young.

That being said, I still don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I'm terrified as much as I am excited. I know time can only get faster, it doesn't slow down.

We have to make this summer count. This is the last hurrah and we have to take that seriously, while still having fun. Let go of the past and keep your eye on the future. This summer is your time to shine. Go shopping, go to the beach, go to the spa with your best friend, do whatever your heart desires. Don't let anyone decide for you or force you to do anything, everything is by your rules and that's that.

We have about a month and a half left of summer so don't let it go to waste my friends. We'll be crawling back to class soon enough.