Dear Fellow Seniors,
The end is drawing near. And if you’re anything like me, the thought of leaving college and entering the real world in a few short months is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. At this point in the semester, you’re likely not a hundred percent sure where you’ll be next year. Maybe you do have it all figured it out; maybe you’re still pursuing a few different options; maybe you have absolutely no idea what the future holds. Whatever the case, your path after your time in undergrad will work itself out one way or another. No matter what the next step is, you will eventually end up where you’re supposed to be. What you can’t ever get back are these last final moments with your best friends. These last opportunities to do all the things you’ve always wanted to do in college. This chance to make the most of your last semester of college. So in the meantime, as you consider your options for what’s next, there are a few things to consider in order to live out these last days and weeks to the fullest.
Stay present.
Even though we’ve lived out our senior year in the midst of a pandemic, there have been so many beautiful and special moments that I know many of us will remember forever. It’s so easy to get sucked up in anxiety about the state of the world or about what lies beyond the gates of your university when graduation is over. But one day you’ll be looking back on this time when you lived minutes from all of your best friends, when you could make questionable decisions, when you could stay out all night. You’re going to miss this. Make the most of it, take a minute to look around every once in a while, and enjoy the small moments.
Reflect on what college has meant to you.
This is one thing me and my friends have been doing a lot. Sitting around just reminiscing about all of the memories we’ve made with one another over the last four years (and there are a lot). All the tears shed, all the laughs shared. All the relationships we’ve built. All the moments that have made us who we are. It’ll make you appreciate the meaningful moments in this stage of your life, and in a weird way, it will help you prepare for what’s next too.
Do everything!
Make a last semester college bucket list. Seriously, write it out on a piece of paper and hang it up in your apartment. Think of all the restaurants you haven’t been to yet (although maybe only outdoor ones). Things you’ve always wanted to do in the area around your college but never got the chance to. Crazy things that are only appropriate to do while you’re still in college. As you go through the semester, add more things that you think of as you check things off. Whatever it is, just say yes to everything (everything that’s COVID friendly, of course). This is one of the last times in your life where you can completely let loose and give into whatever crazy idea comes to mind.
Graduation day will be here before we know it, whether we’re ready for it or not. You don’t want to be sitting on the stage in your cap and gown thinking back on all the things you still didn’t do, regretting how you took all the special moments for granted. It’s not too late to make your last semester of college the best time of your life. Go all in. Spend time with your friends. Do whatever you want to do. And most importantly, don’t spend too much time and energy worrying about what’s next. Instead, focus on what’s right in front of you and embrace every minute of it.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – J.R.R. Tolkien