As this school year comes to an end, I look at all my friends who are graduating in a few short weeks and can’t believe I’ll be in their position a year from now. With some time left before I’m officially a senior, there are some things I hope to keep in mind during my last year of college.
Senior year will be a unique challenge. I feel like I just went through the process of applying to college, but here I am again faced with standardized tests and grad school applications. As I weigh my many post-grad options, I’ll have to practice being present so my senior year doesn’t pass in the blink of an eye.
Though there will be many “lasts,” they will be followed by many more “firsts.” And though the “first” day working a nine to five job doesn’t exactly sound thrilling, there will be great experiences after college ends. For example, your first big promotion after working hard at your first job. Or your first time going to a Hurricanes football game and not having to sit in the ratchet student section. Or your first holiday season without final exams looming ahead.
All good things come to an end. If college lasted forever, we would cherish it a lot less. Instead of spending the “lasts” being sad, look at the “firsts” to follow. On your “last” first day of classes, enjoy it and look forward to your “first” time not having a first day of classes. Instead of mourning your “last” time ordering textbooks, look forward to the “first” time not having to spend your hard-earned money on overpriced paper.
Though you may be worried that you’ll never get your life together, you will. Nearly every person who has graduated before you has. Look back at everything you had to adjust to in college to prove to yourself that you can adjust to life after college. After all, you got used to living in a tiny, cinder block room and sharing communal bathrooms, so you can get used to living just about anywhere else.
Dana McGeehan is a junior majoring in history and media management.