Welcome, graduates, to possibly the last golden age of your lives. You did it. You finally did it. You graduated high school. All of those hours spent farting around in class and then cramming and stressing over quizzes and tests that you probably would have done well on--if Netflix hadn't been beckoning you to binge watch another full series like a cruel but seductive mistress, wishing you had listened to the teachers when they were reviewing the content, but because their voices were just so incredibly dull, boring and never pertaining to anything you were even slightly interested in, you either had to tune them out completely or just fall on your desk and "rest your eyes" for a bit--finally paid off.

All of those papers you had to slave over on your computer for who knows how long, at the last minute, because you felt that Anne's relationship issues with her boyfriend were more important at the time, so you kept putting it off until the day that it was due.

Then there were those classes that held little to no relevance to what you planned to do with your life (but your teacher insisted that it was important, so you kind of just had to go with it). You've all been through so many hardships in these last four years, I daresay, even some losses--as your sanity and, to some degree, your child-like purity have been all but demolished--that I'm sure you're thinking right now, something along these lines: "I survived high school. Nothing can stop me now." And I must interject that if you think that you've bested the worst that life can throw at you, you really did lose your sanity.

You see, in life, you have an almost endless plethora of choices that will open the gateway to mind blowing experiences and opportunities. But, see, you haven't come to that part of life yet. Right now, you have only two choices: College or job--or, as the current swag generation would say: "College or nah." Now, for those of you, like me, who were brought up in a private school for those last four years, you automatically know which one you are choosing. All of those college applications you had to submit, the tears you shed after missing a deadline because you actually tried to incorporate your other academics into the equation, and your super intimidating advisers that you always felt were watching your every move and breathing down your neck if you so much as looked at anything that wasn't an application, there's no doubt in your minds that college is the next step.

Now, just as a side note, I'm not saying that choosing a job over college is bad or any less important. If it works better for you then go for it. But if you do, I'd like an extra slice of cheese on my whopper, please?

Now college can be seen in two ways. This first being "the best four years of your life" and "the hardest four years of your life." As a recent graduate of high school and a nearly finished freshman in college, I can say with full confidence that the true description of college is neither of these two statements, but somewhere in between.

As you transition to the college life--we'll exclude all of the financial aid drama that will have to be endured because I could go all day about that one alone--after having said your goodbyes to your family and friends, cried your eyes out for a full five minutes, moved into your dorm room, met your roommate--or roommates--and gradually adjusted to living on your own after the first week, you start to think that things won't be so bad. You've met all of your professors and they seem really laid back and cool. They didn't even assign you homework.

And then you start to think about all of the clubs and other extracurricular activities you could get involved in and smile at the idea of how quickly you'll figure out and conquer this school, how you will become an icon who is both respected and feared by all. But then, just as you get to the best part, where you meet the girl of your dreams and then fly off together towards the sunset on a winged, rainbow-farting, unicorn, your alarm goes off for the fifth time and you realize that it's 7.59 a.m., you have a class at 8 a.m., and you haven't even brushed your teeth or showered yet. The second week came faster than you thought and it comes with a horrible curve-ball.

You run to your first class as fast as your groggy self can manage when you realize that you've not only forgotten the textbooks needed for the class, but also the fact that nothing looks familiar to you anymore. How did that happen? Oh yeah, that's right. When you toured the campus, you tuned out the guide because you couldn't stop staring at that really cute girl who was walking right beside you. Oh if only you had a map! Oh wait, you did, but you left it in your dorm room because you were so panicked about being late for class.

That's another thing, sorry for getting off track again, but this is important. Textbooks. Cherish those moments of high school when you got those things for free because that's the last time they ever will be.

In any case, by sheer luck, you run into a fellow student who happens to be going to the same class you are and they lead you there. You sit next to this person and they even offer to share their book with you. But you soon realize as the professor starts their lecture, that you didn't even need the thing in the first place and kick yourself for having gotten so worked up about it.

You come back to the dorm room after your last class of the week and collapse onto your bed, completely exhausted. You take back all of the nice things you said and thought about your professors during the first week because they've all assigned you three papers and a quiz that are due by the end of the month. You realize that the third week and all of the following will be the same viscous cycle until, at least, Christmas break, but for some odd reason, that doesn't bother you as much as you thought it would. As it turns out, that student who helped you find your classroom is pretty cool and funny and has just urged you to join the same club they were thinking of joining. You've made your first friend.

Then, suddenly, college doesn't seem so bad anymore. You realize that, in the end, everything you did in high school actually did something for you: it brought you here, where you'll finally be able to learn how to do what you love. Your final golden age has begun and you don't want to waste a single moment of it. Then, two seconds later, your stomach starts to growl and for the first time, you remember that you haven't eaten a decent meal in about three days.