Entering the new year, it’s been difficult for me not to worry and linger on the looming reality of this coming June: graduation. For college seniors, every decision often becomes weighted by a sense of finality. From the last football game, the last first day of the quarter, all the way to the last finals week. It feels like we constantly are experiencing ‘lasts.’ This makes it easy to become lost and caught up in the nostalgia of things ending.
This ‘last time’ mentality is a trap that many seniors fall into, as we become hyper aware of the clock ticking down. Every event, turns to another bittersweet goodbye rather than being an exciting celebration. While reflection on our time here and gratitude for what we have been lucky to experience are valuable, this constant focus on endings can prevent us from being fully present during the last year of our college experience.
Instead of framing senior year as a series of endings, I have been trying to look at it instead as a collection of exciting present moments. These moments aren’t unique because they are the last of their kind, they are important and special because they are happening right now. The dinner party with roommates isn’t meaningful because it’s one of the last celebrations together, it’s meaningful because we’re all laughing, sharing stories, and spending quality time with each other. This mental shift doesn’t necessarily erase the bittersweetness of this time, but it allows for a deeper appreciation of the present.
For me, embracing the present moment means giving myself permission to feel the happiness and sadness within each of these ‘lasts’ without letting either one dominate the experience. It’s important to remember that this year is not about counting down the days until it ends but about making each one count. The memories we create now aren’t just lasts – they are snapshots of a chapter of our lives which we will carry with us forever.
By reframing this year as a time to fully engage in the present moment rather than as a year or lasts, I am working to find more joy in the everyday experiences that make college and being young so special. Instead of focusing on what’s ending, I urge you to concentrate on what’s happening. Senior year is a celebration of everything that came before it and everything to come, with moments that deserve our full attention, not just our goodbyes.