“The next four years of your life are going to fly by.”

Every college student has heard this, but do any of us actually believe it? Of course not, at least not until it’s too late and freshman year has rolled into sophomore year, tumbled into junior year and senior year lies just months away.

I think back to a doe-eyed freshman version of myself, excited for the future but equally unsure of what was before me. I remember the confidence I had and being so sure I knew exactly what I was going to do with my degrees, the city I wanted to work in and the career I hoped to retire with.

Then week two of freshman year came in like a wrecking ball and reality knocked me off my fragile pedestal.

I have no idea what I want to do.

I had only grand ideas and no plans of execution.

But as freshman year has a way of taking care of itself with gen. eds. and basic core curriculum, I wasn’t worried for too long. I filled my days as most first year students do with extracurricular activities and clubs. Too many clubs. And that’s where the time began to fly.

As sophomore year began, the stress of college started to pile on as I had taken on leadership roles, added more activities and balanced a double major course load.

Build your resume, it matters in the job field.

You can never have too many activities.

Yes, yes you can have too many activities.

We live in a society where one club just won’t cut it. Where you better pair that major with a complementary minor. If you only have one internship, you’ll never have enough experience.

What all of these brilliant advice givers fail to mention is that you’re going to get burned out. You’re going to have days were you start at 5 a.m. and don’t go back to sleep until the early hours of the morning. That you’ll bite your finger nails down to the nub because you’re worried about a presentation or an exam. That you’ll need to put your physical and mental health first but giving yourself a day to piece your life together will only push you two days back.

That vicious cycle of Monday-Friday is going to test you and stress you but hey, look at all you’ve accomplished.

If I knew then what I know now, I’d tell that wide-eyed me to slow down.

It’s hard to tell people no but you have to do it.

It’s okay to turn down some opportunities because if you keep doing what you’re doing, there will be more.

It’s okay to have a bad day, you’re a college student, not a superhero.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not know everything. Listen to your family and friends when they tell you enough is enough.

You are not perfect. But no one is.

It’s spring semester of junior year. Senior year is right around the corner and classes are registered for the fall.

“The next four years of your life are going to fly by.”