The idea of entering my senior year of college does not feel entirely real, and even thinking about it makes me feel queasy. It feels like just yesterday when I was choosing UMass as my college destination and putting down my deposit. But now, here I am, wrapping up my junior year with no clue how time flew by so fast.
To be fair, there are a few things that made college pass by so quickly, the first being that I am graduating a year early. Instead of doing college in the normal four years, I am finishing it in three, instantly shortening the time I get to spend at this school.
The second reason why college has gone by so quickly is because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Similar to the end of my high school senior year, I spent the entirety of last year online from my home state. And, because it was my first year of college and I was doing it from the basement of my house, I felt like it was simply a continuation of high school rather than the beginning of college. As such, my first real year of college was this year and it is also somehow my second to last.
While I am excited to go into my senior year, I am also extremely nervous. I don’t think anyone is ever ready for entering the real world following graduation. Even more so, I am so sad to separate from my friends. I am in the process of planning what my life will look like after college, bringing more challenges and new experiences. I know that change is difficult, but I am doing my best to see it as a new opportunity rather than a hardship. I have enjoyed seeing how I have grown since high school, and I am excited to see the growth and progress I will make after graduating college.
Throughout the course of this year, I have learned that my anxiety about the future is not a good enough reason to paralyze myself from doing the things I aspire to do. If anything, I believe that these fears are reasons to enjoy next year as much as possible and to experience as many things as I can. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year at UMass, and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
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