New beginnings

I am a senior in college and I graduate in 2 weeks. Something that everyone around me has been asking me is, “how do you feel?” or some variation of that, and I think a lot of them are expecting me to say “I’m nervous!” or “I’m not ready”. In reality, I am so excited and so ready to graduate. I don’t have some cool big job offer lined up for myself (yet) or a fun grad trip planned, and don’t get it twisted I really love being in college, but I am so ready for the next phase of my life.

Part of that may be because I did take an extra year, but I’m only partially counting my first year of college because it was during covid so everything was remote and there was really not much of the “college experience” that year. But a lot of it is because I am excited for what life awaits! I may not have a job lined up yet but I am so excited to see what I land. I love the friends I have here but I am sooo eager to see what friends I make, I’m just genuinely excited.

I think I especially am excited to be surrounded by people that are not in college. At this point everyone I meet here is younger than me and in a different state of mind. When I first started college, I was a social butterfly; I’d say hi to anyone who sat near me in class and I wanted as many friends as possible. Life wasn’t so serious and all was good in the world because, well, we still had the rest of college left, y’know? I always took my friendships seriously but there’s something about being in a college environment that makes you lack effort and intention because everyone’s around each other constantly.

Now, at 22 years old and about to graduate, I want all of my friendships to have effort and intention behind them. The same way I want to have a partner who I can plan a future with, I want friends who I can plan a future with. I want to be able to look forward to things with my friends and know that no matter what, we will be there for each other more than just holding each other’s hair back when we throw up.

There are things I’m sad about leaving behind as I leave my college town, I mean this has been my home for the last half decade, but I know this change has to happen and what I have to look forward to far outweighs what I’ll be leaving behind. If you have a big inevitable change coming up, allow yourself to be sad—it’s normal and a part of the process— but put an effort towards seeing what this means for what lies ahead. Me graduating from college means saying goodbye to some amazing professors, my college apartment, and being near some dear friends; it also means I get to work at a job I hopefully like, I get to move into my “big girl” apartment and create a new home, and I am going to meet new friends who will grow to be so important to me. Life is full of change, but your perspective on it determines how you let it affect you. I hope this made sense! Thank you so much for reading :)