The first thing I did after being accepted into the University of North Texas while in high school was put “UNT ‘22” in every social media bio I could. I remember thinking that 2022 seemed so far off. It felt miles away. And yet, here we are. 2022 is next year.
After May 1st, I will officially be a senior. One year left in college and the end of my academic career. I’m sorry, what?
Because of COVID-19, I only got one full year of “normal college.” The first semester of my sophomore year was ‘normal’, but since the middle of that spring semester in 2020, I have been online. Since that fateful March, I’ve only been on campus a handful of times.
Now, I have less than 30 days until I enter my last year of school. As exciting as that is, I am terrified. Am I even ready to graduate college?
My biggest worry is no longer finding a freshman roommate — it’s figuring out what I really want to do in my life. It’s finding an internship. Or, looking for my first grown-up apartment. It is finally doing all these things that I have dreamed about for years. And it’s here now, but I feel totally and utterly unprepared.
When entering this final year, I can’t let fear control my life. I may not have every answer. When someone asks the usual: “So, what do you plan to do once you graduate?” I might still answer “I don’t know,” but I’m not going to let that freak me out. I am just in my early 20’s. I have plenty of time.
I don’t have everything figured out and I’m okay with that.