If you are a college student or even a former college student, you know once March rolls around it is finally time to shut the laptops for a week and head somewhere warm to party with your friends and escape reality. Once that fantasy ends, though, the semester has little time left. For graduating seniors like myself, the clock starts ticking until graduation and every conversation involves the question, “So what is your plan for after graduation?”
This is what we all have worked so hard for, to begin the next chapter of our lives and finally pursue the careers of our dreams. It’s ever so exciting or it’s supposed to be, right? Although it is such a great accomplishment and an exciting time, what people fail to mention is how exciting it can sometimes be.
The character Nathan Scott from One Tree Hill once said, “One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday, then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday and this is your life.”
This might be some cliche quote from an old teen drama, but I think it is a great statement that encompasses growing up perfectly. It describes how I feel at this exact moment. Honestly, it is difficult for me to fathom sometimes that I am a full-grown adult and that in a few short months, I will be entering the “real world,” and expected by most of society to have my place and a “big girl job.” Of course, that is exciting to think about and my ultimate goal, but all at the same time, it is frightening.
What if I’m not ready? What if I don’t know what I want to do? What if I can’t find a job? So many what-ifs. As someone who has struggled with anxiety for years, a big fear of mine is the unknown. The safe option in this situation would be to just go back to my hometown until I figure things out. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the worst option and I love my family, but my hometown is garbage and I do not want to stay there any longer. I would still feel immense pressure from myself and my peers about finding a job that puts my degree to use. As much as the unknown scares me, it also thrills me.
On top of that, it is just a bittersweet feeling knowing this place that has been your second home will be no longer and the friends who have become your other family won’t be right next store anymore. Starting any new chapter of your life is bittersweet. You are ready to take on a new adventure, but it is difficult to say goodbye to the current one. Now, for many people college is not the best of times, it honestly hasn’t been so great sometimes for me. It can be physically and mentally draining. Maybe not everyone feels the same way I do and they are ever so eager to leave. But I know some people feel the same way I do. Regardless of one’s college experience, it will remain a core memory in some shape or form for every college student, as we learn so much about ourselves and the world.
The reality of graduating college is that it is not all sunshine and rainbows. It is a great achievement, but the transition is not so easy. If you are a current graduating senior, don’t forget to enjoy the time we have left. If you know a senior, show your appreciation for them.