In elementary school, all people talked about was finally being in middle school. In middle school, all anyone cared about was finally entering the infamous high school world. Once in high school, all that anyone ever seemed to care about was college.
College is held to some pretty high standards. It's often glamorized and portrayed as being this amazing, life-changing, incredibly exciting and a fast-paced road of self-discovery. Whether people are interested in college as a way to finally escape their family or hometown, a time to finally start learning about their intended career or just a place to party and meet people, there are a lot of expectations placed on the college
experience.
In fact, college has gotten the reputation of being "the best four years of your life."
I really, really hope this isn't the case for anyone.
Personally, I love being in college. It's already been an eye-opening, wonderful and adventurous journey in the amount of time I've been here - one-and-a-half years. I've made incredible friends who are now considered family, learned an abundance about myself, life, and people in general and started to get a grip on what I want to pursue as a career.
Despite the positive aspects of college, I would be crushed if these four years turn out to be the "best four years of my life." What would that mean about the rest of my life? That it would progressively move in a downward slope, and that the peak of my existence is centered around a short, four-year period? That doesn't sound like the right way of thinking or living.
College shouldn't be the best four years of your life, plain and simple. They should be good years, years that you'll look back on fondly and smile at the memories and experiences you've had. They should be years that you'll cherish forever. However, in no means should your life be "over" once you graduate.
I think life should continuously get better, no matter what stage of it you're in. This world contains an abundance of beautiful places to visit and incredible people to meet, and those aren't limited to being discovered when you're young and free. The future holds an endless amount of possibilities for people who go after them, and to me, that's an exciting thought.
I think people often get sucked into thinking that graduating and getting a professional job means the fun times, adventures, and overall happiness of life slowly fade as a mundane routine of work settles in. Yes, life after college will be very different, but "different" doesn't automatically mean "bad." You can choose to let yourself be consumed with work and adult responsibilities, or you can choose to create a healthy balance between work and play. It depends on your mindset.
When Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10), I'm pretty sure he didn't mean the "more abundantly" part stopped after college. He came so that we would have a richly satisfying life through him that extends past college, past young-adulthood, past adulthood and into eternity. When we're living according to him, he helps us get through the bad times, and makes the good times even better, regardless of what stage of life we're in.
So yes, college should be a wonderful experience, but don't get trapped into thinking that it's going to be the "best four years of your life." It could only get better from here.
