Less than two months; that’s how long I have until graduation. It has been a long time coming, and yet, I still have so many mixed emotions about it. I’m excited to be finished with school, to find a job I love, to carve my own unique path in the world.
I am also sad and a little scared about the impending change. The road before me has never been quite so wide open and free, yet it is these qualities that make it even harder for me to move forward. What if I’m not ready?
Friends who have already graduated from college assure me that these feelings I’m having are completely normal. In a few years, I’m sure I’ll look back on this time with fondness and gratitude for how far I have come. After all, I had similar feelings after graduating high school, but that part of my life is long behind me now. There were good parts and bad, things I miss immensely and things I do not miss at all. I know that graduating from college will be the same.
I am so grateful for all the memories I have made in college, and I can’t wait for all the new ones that I will make in this next chapter of my life. For anyone who has a few more semesters or years to go, take that one class that you have really been wanting to take that has literally nothing to do with your major. Make friends with someone outside your circle. Stretch your comfort zone a little bit. Take lots of pictures and make the most of this time because it will be over before you know it.
For anyone experiencing the same thing as me right now, take some time to look around you. Appreciate the friends you have made, the things you have done, the routines you have created. Think about everything you have learned and know that there is still so much more wisdom to gain. If there is anything you really wanted to do in college but haven’t yet, do it (so long as it is safe and legal :) ). And again, take all the pictures you can.
Even though I have loved this part of my journey, I know that I will love whatever comes next just as much. While it can be hard to come to terms with change, it can be, and often is, a good thing. In the coming years, I am so excited to create a career for myself, travel, start a family, and make all kinds of new experiences. I look forward to staying in touch with my friends now, making new friends in new places, and living life. Through all of its hiccups and triumphs, there is so much more to learn and do. The best really is yet to come.
HCXO,
Autumn