College was great. The classroom setting was more relaxed than high school. The discussions were more in depth, more important, more inclusive, and more knowledgeable. It’s actually a funny thought, but the conversations were more about sharing opinions and information, versus just answering the question, like in high school, in as few words possible. The homework was, also, definitely more, but I'm pretty sure I handled all of it just fine. What I cannot wrap my head around is the idea that my colleges years were "the best time of my life". I heard this all the time before college from adults all around me, even the little old check-out lady at the grocery store said so. Now that college has come and gone, this doesn't seem to hold true.

I’ve only lived about 20% of my life so far. That means I have yet to experience 80% of what life has to offer. I have gotten a tattoo, graduated cum laude with 2 degrees and a minor a semester early, traveled to Europe, and been to Disney World. All of which were amazing experiences that have made my life wonderful so far. But I’m 21 and I still have yet to fall romantically in love, get my heart broken (by anyone), travel to the west coast, get drunk, move out, and so much more!

All of this plus making new friends, trying different areas of study, and having different jobs are all a part of experiencing life. I feel like I have so much more to do, and therefore have not experienced "the best years of my life" yet. Whether the experiences are huge landmark moments, or just everyday occurrences, they all add up to make our unique and individually wonderful lives. To think that all of the excitement has already passed me by makes me sad.

I can understand how some people say that college is the best time of your life in that you have a lot more freedom from high school and maybe from “the real world”. But I also think that life beyond higher education has even more to offer. There are so many job opportunities out there, as well as places to travel to, shows to see, and nature to be explored.

There is an entire world out there waiting to show us what it has to offer, and I've only seen a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of it all. Yes, college has been fun, but now I'm ready to experience the other wonderful 80% of my life. And I have a feeling it will only get better with time. When I'm 100, that's when I'll be able to tell you which years were the best and why.