Oh, last semester of college… we just aren’t sure how to feel about you.
Actually, yes we are.
Graduation is approaching, and as you reminisce on your college career, you realize that you’re showing every sign of being a second-semester senior on the verge of breaking free (or down) in the real world. You’ll probably relate to all of these, but don’t worry – you’re not alone.
1. You start to feel really old and creepy at house parties.
2. You’re on a first-name basis with the bartenders and bouncers at every bar in your college town.
3. When your friend suggests Chipotle instead of class for the third time this week, you’re like:
4. You validate sleeping in until noon because when you have a real job, you’ll have to get up at 6 a.m. everyday.
5. BSing research papers has turned into finding creative ways to make yourself sound hireable in your cover letters.
6. You are determined to take advantage of every drink special and bar night, because those weekday nights out can’t (and don’t) exist in the adult world.
7. You begin to openly accept that the real reason you have to pull all-nighters is not because you have a lot of homework, but because you put it off due to those weekday nights you spent out. You figure you have the rest of your life to work, so you have to make the most of what’s left of your college career.
8. “I really don’t care” has a whole new meaning. You really don’t care.
9. You spend as little time on campus as possible. Even if you only have 20 minutes between classes, that’s plenty of time to fit in a much-needed nap.
10. All of your classes are in the same building.
11. Cooking is a thing of the past: Jimmy John’s has your number and address in their system.
12. You don’t even want to open emails about graduation or think about ordering your cap and gown.
13. You start to feel past your prime. Dancing with friends at clubs has turned from this…
…to this.
14. You pretend not to make eye contact with your roommates when they catch you having a drink in the middle of the day. They don’t really care, anyways…
…because 10 minutes later, they join you.
15. Studying has turned into this…
16. You celebrate when you pass a test without even touching the textbook.
17. Every time someone mentions graduation at the bar…
18. You are starting to run out of costumes for theme parties.
19. When the bar begins to overflow with obnoxiously drunk underclassmen and their fake IDs, you’re like:
20. Your class schedule does not involve anything before 11 a.m.
21. When midterms and finals roll around, you get extra dramatic about having to say goodbye to your social life.
22. On that note, your social life is sitting on the very fine line between wanting to go the bars every night and locking yourself away from society to watch endless amounts of Netflix.
23. You feel entitled to a spring break vacation.
24. Your friends literally have to coach you through going to class every single day.
25. You become emotionally unstable after seeing Facebook status updates about new internships, jobs, engagements, babies and promotions.
26. When people ask if you’re excited to finally be graduating, you pretend to act ecstatic to hide your complete sense of panic.
27. When people in your classes talk about the three jobs they have to choose from after graduation, you freak out. You haven’t applied anywhere, and you don’t even know if you can go back to your hometown supermarket as your backup plan.
28. You start calling your parents panicking about not finding a job right after graduation.
29. You struggle to find the balance among finishing school, applying for jobs, having a social life and staying sane.
30. When someone asks you about grad school, you’re like:
31. Your drink of choice begins to change as graduation nears.
32. You want to punch the “this is the last time” person every time they talk. “You guys, this is the last time we will be college students at this very restaurant on this very day!”
33. But you know they’re right, so you soak up every single moment you have left.
34. After four job interviews, you realize that you’ll probably have to live with your parents for the next six years due to the fact that every interview was for an internship that pays minimum wage.
35. You begin to realize this whole second-semester senior year thing is a lot like being hungover.
36. So you learn to comfort yourself, because you are clearly not alone during this fragile time.
Remember, making it through your last semester is long and painful, but you’re going to make it out alive. We promise.