University can feel like a kind of Neverland, at times. Undergraduate students are legally adults, but not necessarily actual adults. Our responsibilities are different than they would be if we weren't pursuing an undergraduate degree. There are parties, casual encounters, the option to skip class, and just do what you want to do. However, as awesome as this newfound freedom is for students, there does come a time where we all need to grow up, for real, and take school and ultimately, ourselves, seriously.

I was never one to break rules, and I'm a perfectionist who never feels like they're living up to their full potential. I can always be better. So my commitments and responsibilities always came first. I was taught growing up to follow through with tasks I've committed to, no matter what. Living on campus this semester has forced me to really evaluate myself and what I want out of my future.

The other side of that coin is how fun, and sometimes necessary, to blow off steam and forget about all the stress in managing everything for a few hours, a night, or even a weekend.

The first half of this semester, which also happens to be my last semester, has been filled with more focus on fun than my responsibilities. I wasn't taking my responsibilities as seriously as I once had. Which was a refreshing change of pace, since I had done that my whole collegiate experience.

We all know though, at the end of the day, too much of anything is usually never good. Balance is crucial and there's a time in all our lives that we need to take a step back, see the big picture, and really ask ourselves if this is the life we want to be living.

I never really took myself seriously since I didn't know what that really even meant. But as graduation approaches, I finally understand that being serious means being serious about my goals, my dreams, my passions, and the choices involved in making those my reality. Having balance in my life, between fulfilling responsibilities and making memories, fulfilling and meaningful relationships, as well as keeping the growth mindset, I will be able to achieve what I need to take myself seriously.

This is only the beginning.