So you did it or are about to do it. You are about to walk, run, or maybe cartwheel across that stage and grab your degree. In less than a month you are going to be a college graduate, an alumni of your University…an adult! Can you believe that? I know I can't even comprehend what those words mean.

An adult? I think not! I'm still obsessed with fruit snacks and juice boxes! "Adulting" does not involve fruit snacks and juice boxes and unfortunately consist of things like kale and chia seeds. Am I going to have to start liking that? I sure hope not. But I guess my adult food concerns can wait; they are the least of my worries.

So congratulations, you’ve been in school for almost 18 years! School is what you know best. Correction, it is all you know.

We, as students, are so conditioned to waking up and going to class, doing homework after class, going to sleep when everyone else is waking up for work and working some mediocre part time job so that we can afford to have a milkshake once a week as a treat. We don’t know what life as a non-student is or what it might be like. We know from the time we enter college that the ultimate goal is to get a degree so that we can get what I like to call a “big girl/boy job.”

But is it that simple? Do you just graduate and then BOOM! BAM! POP! a magical career fairy says, “Hey, you with the degree, come work for me?” Yeah, I doubt that. I think you have to put in a little more effort, although I wish there was a career fairy flying around. But enough about the boring stuff that comes after college, let's take a trip down memory lane, and remember how great the four best years of your life were:

Summer before Freshman Year:

You just graduated from high school. You were so thrilled and ready for your first day of college that the background on your iPhone 4/4s was a countdown to move-in day. You spent the entire summer waiting for the email telling you who your roommate was and shopping for your new dorm room. You went to new student orientation at what was about to become your new home and fell in love with what your life was about to be like.

You also engaged in Twitter conversations with complete strangers because they simply tweeted with a hashtag of your class and university. I mean same class plus same school times same excitement = best friends forever? Right? Then all of a sudden summer came to an end, your parents moved you into your dorm and then you all went your separate ways. In your mind, you were thinking, “Time for the fun to begin!” And that’s exactly what happened.

Freshman Year:

Freshman year, you probably had an abundance of friends. You went out every weekend to frat parties, sports games, and anything sponsored by your university that all your friends would be attending. You coordinated your meals with your roommate and plethora of friends because God forbid you ever had to sit alone in the dining hall. You used all the money your parents gave you to buy any and every clothing item that had your school logo on it. You took your time getting dressed in the morning for class. If you were a “cool” freshman, you never wore your lanyard around your neck. It would have been social suicide to have the upperclassmen knowing you were only a first-year student, you were just too cool for that.

Freshman year you probably had some run-ins with a potent friend called 'liquor,' most likely the cheap stuff (you know the kind that tastes like rubbing alcohol but you drink it anyway because you want to be turnt). You probably suffered from killer headaches and nausea the next day too. But when the next party came about, you had amnesia in regards to the last. Freshman year was probably a breeze academically, which allowed you to spend more time out and about rather than in the books. It was probably the best year of your college experience and the year that you had the most social support in your life.

Sophomore Year:

Remember all those friends you had? Hahahaha, time to divide by two. Nothing wrong with that; quality over quantity right? Just make sure she gives you back that shirt from that one party where you guys decided to match, because at the time it was a great idea.

Now you go to the dining hall with just a couple people or even alone, you don’t care anymore about company you care about the sound your stomach is making. You still party, just not as much. You’re still having just as much fun as your freshmen year just in moderation.You start realizing that college is not easy and maybe you should actually go to the library. Maybe you should also go to the gym-- the freshman 15 thing was so not a myth.

Junior Year:

This is your year! You are most likely turning 21 sometime this year! You are also just a year away from becoming a college graduate. This year, school was tough. You were taking classes that have you wondering if you really need a degree to be successful. You were also working and trying to have a social life. At the same time, you were also doing more things off campus than in your previous years.

You are now an upperclassman, you’re pretty cool now. Remember that lanyard you once had with your ID in it? You have upgraded to a wristlet instead.

Senior Year:

Dining Hall? What is a meal plan? Something you clearly don’t have anymore since you have a kitchen and two hands. By now, you still have that one friend that has been around since the beginning (hey Tessie!). I bet you have maybe changed your major three times, got into a relationship, or two, or three, and even thought about dropping out and becoming a “dancer.” You probably spend most of your time with your “bae” and on rare occasions go out with your close friend somewhere very chill and only for ages 21 and up.

Absolutely no more frat parties held in basements, with neon lights and black lights because what are you, a freshman? You are more of a bar/lounge type of person now. Oh, you fancy, huh? You are now enjoying top-shelf liquor! Your GPA is thanking you for calming down and so is your liver. You have figured out your priorities and see the goals you set being accomplished. You are finally growing up and loving the outcome and see success in your near future.

Maybe this wasn’t your experience but I'm sure it was similar. I am also sure you can agree with your parents now when they said, “College will be the best four years of your life.” Now that it has come to an end, I hope you made the most of it. You will never get those years back.

College was your time to be a somewhat adult, the kind of adult with no real responsibilities. Now it's time to be an absolute adult, the amount of responsibilities you will begin having with equal out to the amount of people you called your friend freshman year.

How scary!? So my fellow seniors, in these last few weeks before graduation have fun, get lit, do things you did when you were a freshman, and live. Soon, you will be wishing you could fit in a happy hour date in your busy adult schedule!

"Look, mama, we made it!"