New Year’s Eve: a chaotic, highly-anticipated, and undeniably fun night. However, as I get older and years get shorter, I can’t help but cringe at how fast life is moving. 2026…it still sounds so futuristic and surreal.
Why is it that 2010-2020 felt like a century and, ever since, time feels like it’s perpetually in fast-forward? With childhood in the past and college seeming like it could be over at any given moment, it is so easy to feel like life, in its essence, is over.
Of course, this is dramatic (kind of), but really, with how quickly time is passing, it’s imperative that we soak in every second. So, I’m going to talk about how to enjoy your college years and maybe accept, just a little, that we’re getting old (ish).
the only thing certain about life is that everything changes
While this statement probably seems obvious, it’s one people often turn a blind eye to. In a world shaped by trends, overconsumption, and social media, it’s easy to focus on what you don’t have, what you should be doing, and where you’re supposed to be in the next month, year, or even decade from now. We live so far ahead of ourselves that we put the present on the backburner.
Things change whether you want them to or not, and paying attention is the only way to keep up. Honestly, I often find myself romanticizing the past and daydreaming about the future. If it’s so easy to do that, why not treat the present with the same amount of attention and care?
Live life in the moment—not in your head. (I’m still learning that too.)
only regret things you don’t do
The beauty of college and independence is choice. Obviously we’ve been making basic decisions since forever, but moving out and living on your own brings them to a whole new playing field.
While this newfound freedom can definitely be overwhelming, it opens doors you probably never knew existed. Whether you’re choosing which job offer to take, which person to date, or which country to travel to, the choice is in your hands.
However, when there’s something to lose, even small decisions start to feel heavy. Personally, I notice how quickly I retreat to what’s familiar, not because it’s right, but because it feels safe. And it’s limiting.
Oftentimes, overthinking the “what ifs” of situations prevents us from making any decision at all. It’s easy to tell ourselves we’re being practical, when really we’re just avoiding the discomfort of trying.
But remaining comfortable doesn’t serve us in the way we think it does. It just leaves you wondering what would have happened if you would’ve said yes. Or gone anyway. Or taken the risk before you talked yourself out of it. With so many possible paths, hesitation can quietly become its own decision—and it’s often the one we regret most.
i love to be young (so take advantage)
As a kid, I used to heavily romanticize college. The idea of living with friends, going out without anyone’s permission, and being old enough to make my own decisions was beyond thrilling. Now that I’m here, I realize younger me wasn’t entirely wrong. College is awesome.
However, lately it feels like there’s pressure to experience youth in a very specific way: the “clean girl” epidemic. Early nights, strict routines, perfectly curated mornings, and staying in instead of going out have utterly taken over Gen Z culture.
Overnight, rest has turned into an identity, and isolation into something aspirational. While there’s nothing wrong with slowing down or prioritizing yourself, it sometimes feels like we’re being encouraged to skip the messiness that makes this stage of life what it is.
College, and your young-adult life in general, are not meant to be perfect. They’re meant to be chaotic, confusing, fun, and occasionally uncomfortable.
This is the time when you’re in that weird in-between of youth and adulthood. The time when you have enough responsibility to have independence, but you don’t have nearly enough to feel tied down. The time when we’re allowed to figure things out as we go, make mistakes without them defining us, and create memories and connections that will last a lifetime.
When else in our lives will we get to live so fully in between—responsible, but not yet settled, with everything still ahead of us?
Short answer: never. So stop going to bed at 9 PM every night, and start being a little bit messy!
bad days are temporary
I often find myself “stuck in a rut”: a bad moment turns into a bad day, a bad day turns into a bad week, and suddenly it feels like there is no end in sight.
While it is totally normal to have rough days here and there, don’t let them take away from your life. Dwelling on how everything is going wrong only gives that negativity power, and will prolong the “rut”.
In my experience, the best way to deal with a bad day is to simply let it happen. Feel the emotions, remind yourself that it’s normal, and give yourself the chance to wake up the next day with a fresh slate.
Life moves too quickly to be stuck in anger or frustration. That mindset is a choice, and it’s one that tends to linger far longer than the situation itself. Whatever put you in a bad place is temporary—but the way you respond to it is up to you.
have i peaked?
There’s a widely accepted idea that college is supposed to be the best time of your life. Because of that, if you’re having anything less than that unrealistic standard, panic starts to set in. (Because, let’s be honest, if this is peak, I’m so scared for life post-grad).
It’s hard not to compare. Social media makes it seem like everyone else is doing college right—going out all the time, making lifelong friends, landing internships, and somehow still waking up early for Core Power and matcha from Kin. When your own experience doesn’t look like that, it’s easy to feel behind, like you’re already missing the years you’re supposed to look back on someday.
But maybe the problem isn’t that we’ve peaked—it’s that we’re obsessed with the idea of a peak at all. Life isn’t a single high point followed by a slow decline. It’s a series of moments that feel big only once you’re far enough away to recognize them. Some of the best parts of life probably won’t feel extraordinary while they’re happening. They’ll feel ordinary, routine, even boring—until one day you realize how much you’d give to relive them.
College doesn’t have to be the best time of your life for it to matter. It can just be a time—one where you’re learning who you are and what you want. There’s comfort in knowing that if this isn’t the peak, that means there’s more ahead: new cities, new people, new versions of yourself you haven’t met yet. And if this is a high point, that doesn’t mean everything after is downhill—it just means life keeps changing, like it always does.
So yes, we’re getting older, life is messy, and things won’t always go perfectly—but that just means there’s more to figure out, more to laugh at, and more to live for.