When I think of where I was three years ago, I can hardly believe how much has changed since then. Three years ago, I was eighteen and getting ready to graduate high school. I was about to begin college, a terrifying thought, and was excited to see where this new journey would take me. Now I am twenty one years old, and preparing to enter my final year of college. As I watch friends celebrate their completion of school, I can’t help but picture myself in their spot. Soon enough I will be forced out into the world, and I often wonder if I’ll be ready.
I was afraid of starting college, I will openly admit it. I was scared of homesickness and feeling lonely. I feared I wouldn’t make friends, and that my high school teachers were right about college professors being harsh. I was afraid that I wouldn’t do well. But once I got here, I found out it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Sure, it was difficult, but I enjoyed being able to challenge myself. I definitely still struggle sometimes, but it’s worth it to be able to get the most out of my education.
It was difficult losing over a year of my college experience to COVID, but this past year has made it easier to bear. Getting to live with my friends, go out, and have fun together has been the best part of being back on campus. In-person classes are nice, too. I was in a difficult time of my life freshman year, so my junior year was the first time I really felt like a college student. Between late night food runs, cram sessions with my roommates, football games, parties, and spontaneous trips to San Francisco, I truly felt like I was getting the most out of my time here.
It’s hard to believe that in a year it will all be over. In a year, I will be the one taking grad pictures around campus and getting ready to say goodbye to friends. As I get closer, the question of “what are you doing after college?” has been popping up more and more — a question I don’t fully have an answer for. While I am trying to focus on enjoying my time as a student, I cannot help but feel just how fleeting it is. My mind is still filled with job opportunities, final exams, and grad school applications. It’s scary to have such an uncertain future.
When I was entering my final year of high school, my father told me not to worry about anything, for I would have one senior year, and I had to enjoy it. I’m trying my best to keep that same mindset today. Instead I’m focusing on the trips I’ll take with friends this summer, the trips to the bar once everyone is twenty one, and all the memories that are left to be made. There will be a lot to do in the fall, and lots of decisions to make. But for now, I’ll just enjoy being a college student while I still can.