I still remember the first day of freshman year. Walking into my tiny freshmen dorm full of unfamiliar faces sent a feeling throughout my body that I had never felt before. It was uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and sadness all mixed together as this would be my new life. All summer as I excitedly shopped for dorm decorations and brand new school supplies, people told me to cherish every moment of college; they said it’ll be over before you know it. That first day felt like an entire year in itself, and I prepared myself for the longest four years of my life. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Here I am, halfway through the first semester of junior year, still feeling like I started just yesterday.
Planning for a semester abroad, only to come back and be a senior with only one year left of college leaves me speechless. Those feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, fear and sadness only resurface when I think about college being over, which is exactly the opposite of what I ever imagined on that first day. The past two and a half years have flown by in the blink of an eye, but have been filled with some of the best memories and people.
College has been the most stressful time of my life while being filled with the best experiences all at the same time. I can’t even begin to recall all the late nights studying in the library, entire weekends spent laughing, and all the “firsts” spent with total strangers who quickly became my best friends. Four years will seem like four minutes on graduation day, so cherish every moment and begin with an open mind.