As a college student, how many times have you been told that these are the best years of your life? Probably quite a few; I know I have heard it from just about everyone. I have heard it from recent college graduates, my parents friends, random strangers, my bosses, and even read it in a random article here and there. People always feel the need to say hey, these are the best years of your life- you better be enjoying them.

As much as I love college, I have a hard time believing that these four years are the peak of my life. Is it really possible that everything will go downhill from here? That is such a depressing sentiment, but one that has been repeatedly shared with me. Even in a passing joke, the message is clear: this is as good as it gets. And sure, half the time people are joking. Yet it makes me wonder about the root of their joke and if there is any validity to what they are saying. Maybe it is just something that you say to college students, becasue I truly find it hard to believe that all of these people are walking around hating their lives, constantly wishing for their college days. Maybe, but I find it unlikely. So why does everyone feel the need to tell me to enjoy this time while it lasts?

Maybe it has to do with the fact that college is the last time that you really don’t have any serious responsibilities. A lot of college students balance class with jobs and other various activities, but the level of responsibility is still pretty minimal. We are still able to go out for crazy nights and sleep away the weekends without feeling guilty about it. We can binge watch TV shows instead of studying, only to end up cramming in one night. We can sleep through classes if we really want to. Yet after graduation comes and goes, these things don’t seem acceptable anymore. Maybe life isn’t getting worse as we get older, and people just miss the days of minimal responsibly that college allows for.

That's what I hope at least. I am okay with missing my college days every now and then, but I don’t want to live my life as if the best times have already come and gone. I mean, how can we really believe that the best four years of our life were the blurry college years? Are there not better things ahead?

I love college, I really do. I don’t want my time here to end, but I know it has to. I refuse to believe, though, that there is nothing to look forward to in the future. Sure, life may get a little more hectic after we graduate, but that doesn’t have to be a negative thing. I think what is more negative is living in a mindset that the past is better than the future. So I won't. Despite what everyone tells me, I won't believe that nothing exciting happens after college.