Many people, including myself, are concluding their college careers this grad season. With graduation approaching for many this May, I’m sure many of the soon-to-be graduates are reflecting on their time at their university. The cliché line “time flies by” does not seem so cliche when you fully experience it. In a few weeks, I too will be graduating from George Mason University and find it to be a very bittersweet feeling. For some, college may feel like your second round of adolescence, truly getting a taste of what adulting feels like.
College has taught me that life will always do its thing and you just have to keep riding, even through the ups and downs. Even though adulting may feel tough at times, I’ve turned to look at the positives that come with it. For starters, it may not feel like it at times, but fully accepting that you’re a grown adult can be refreshing. The freedom that comes with that is endless. You are absolutely allowed to think for yourself, no matter what the opinions are from outside people. Adulting is accepting the fact that you have to do what makes you happy and not what you think other people will accept. You will never accomplish what you want for yourself if you are pleasing strangers, friends, and even family. Realizing that you do have the freedom to do literally whatever your heart desires is definitely like taking that first dip in the pool. Quickly realizing the water is pretty cool, it’s nothing like stepping back out to face dive in.
Adulting is also learning who to surround yourself with. Accepting that not everyone you meet has good intentions for you is important. Be observant of those around you, people tend to tell on themselves without noticing. In these situations, I’ve learned to make a mental note or simply disassociate from that relationship. It can suck at times to depart from people you thought had good intentions, but the second you receive a red flag, it is crucial to not ignore it. Who wants to deal with drama? It almost always seems foolish and unnecessary. I recommend avoiding that as much as possible.
The biggest eye-opener to adulting as graduation approaches is realizing that academic stress will be a thing of the past. Spreading your wings in the real world can seem like a big leap. For some reason, there’s comfort in knowing that after graduation your main focus is to apply yourself to what you learned to the real world. Absolutely nothing compares to academic stress. Job hunting may seem like a task, but with just enough drive, you will eventually get that dream job of yours. Working a job you know you are capable of to begin the lifestyle of your choice sounds a lot more refreshing than studying for an exam. Adulting may sound scary when you think about bills, where you’re going to live or even maintaining a healthy social life.
My overall takeaway with adulting is that life is always going to do its thing. No matter how rough life can get, it’s so important to just keep going. The number one question asked to soon-to-be graduates consists of five words, “what are your plans after?” As frustrating as that may feel, I recommend the most subtle response, “figure it out.” In life, all you can do is figure it out, and I’m sure at some point in that person’s life who questioned your next plans also had no choice but to figure it out. With that, collegiettes, adulting may seem scary, but you got this; everyone is figuring it out!