To all my soon-to-be-juniors out there, I ask you, how the hell did two years fly by that fast?
I want you to think back to the last few weeks of sophomore year. With the constantly tired (and slightly hungry) feeling combined with the stress of finals week 24/7, it's no wonder why most of us tended to rush these last few weeks of school. However, when I look at all the bins, clothes and bags yet to be unpacked cluttering my room, I can't help but feel a little sad. College is halfway over, and the reality of it is hitting pretty hard.
While it felt like it took two decades to get to junior year in high school, it seemed more like two months in college. If the first two years came and went just like that, surely that must mean the next to years will go even faster, right? Granted, junior and senior year will be tougher considering we're entering the realm of major-related courses (and eventually senior thesis), but I can't help but think even that fact won't slow time down.
And on top of all that, a number of thoughts and second-guesses start to flood in. Should I have signed up for that study abroad trip? Was it bad to skip out on all those club meetings and free campus activities and food? Should I have gone out that one night? Am I spending enough time reading and studying for class? Am I spending too much time? The what-ifs, missed opportunities, and FOMO of the past two years are definitely acting like a wake-up call for the next two.
While you shouldn't do anything rash like some might in a real mid-life crisis, there are some important things to keep in mind and act upon. Time really does fly by when you're having fun, so I believe these next two years will be easier if we just simply accept that fact. There are some of us out there already paying rent and working part-time to full-time jobs year round, but we must remember that even though we're approaching the age and responsibilities of adulthood, we still have time.
We still have time to make mistakes, learn from them, and get out there and try again. We still have time to decide what we really want to do with our future, because it's not easy to pick the best major(s) for yourself the first time. We still have time go out one-too many nights without having to worry about a mortgage or bills. Most of us are in that pre-adult phase, or what I like to call the "miniature adult" phase - we're older now and have more responsibilities, but not to the full extent just quite yet.
Most of the advice I've been given from recent graduates and older adults is simple — take each and every opportunity you are given and make memories whenever possible. Because, when our four short years of college are over and we're looking for jobs or entering graduate school, those memories will be all that we have. Now is not the time to start freaking out. Although the first two years have gone by faster than many of us may have wanted, we still have two more to enjoy "the greatest years of our lives."
