College is a tough and, sometimes, lonely experience, during which we need to find comfort in things that don't necessarily involve other humans. In my case, as with tons of other people, music has always been a source of comfort, even something that drives me to keep going through the hardest and most stressful moments.

Pretty much anyone who has ever seen me has noticed that I am rarely without some large headphones, a testament to my attachment to music. So, in this list, I want to share some of the stuff that I was probably listening to this past year when I ignored you as you called my name! This list is in no specific order and there might not be much of a connection between songs or genres, but all of these songs just felt right for most of this past year. (At most, a lot of these songs will be on the softer side, since I required music the most as I sat alone in libraries.)

1. The Jezabels - Time To Dance

This song captures how I've felt through most of my student teaching experience. It isn't easy; it's a ton of work. It's a ridiculous amount of days spent functioning on no more than three hours of sleep, or nights where there is more caffeine than oxygen in your blood. For these reasons, I just adore the build up of the entire song, but especially the lyrics that I ask myself frequently:

"When you work so hard, say, what's the point in doing all that jazz?"

2. Frank Turner - I Am Disappeared

Another song that helps me cope with the stress of life in general. Everyone, at least occasionally, asks themselves whether they should give up. Thankfully, I've pushed on through, but Frank Turner's gem is the ultimate question mark in the back of my mind.

"And on the worst days, when it feels like life weighs ten thousand tons,
I sleep with my passport, one eye on the back door so I can always run,
I can get up, shower, and in half an hour I'll be gone"

3. Gareth Emery - Reckless (Feat. Wayward Daughter) (Standerwick Remix)

For an English major, I have a sick love for trance music. I always have, I always will, and I don't apologize to anyone for it. This song is responsible for blowing out a speaker in my car and it also probably woke up people at night way too many times this past year. For that, I also don't apologize. I adore this song too much.

"All these things that I've done, the battles I've won,
They've taken the fight out of me,
A twist of the knife; now I'm just watching you bleed"

4. Poom - Les Voiles

I sat in a Starbucks one day, working on a large paper, and played this song more than twenty times in a row. I got an A on that paper (thank you, French electro pop). French music and poetry are what make my years of studying French absolutely worth it.

5. Sylvan Esso - Coffee

Appropriate because I've consumed an insane amount of coffee throughout my college years. Coffee is my aqua vitae: it has a soothing effect on my nerves and helps me focus. One of my earliest and best memories from when I was four years old involved trying coffee for the first time. Much of my success has been founded on the sustained drinking of coffee and the sustained listening to of songs as amazing as this one.

"Blazing summer, cold coffee
Baby's gone, do you love me?"

6. New Order - Temptation '87

One of my favorite songs. When I hear this, I think about summer and driving with the windows down through streets I know, or maybe I don't, but everything still feels right. To me, this song is summer and the best memories of freedom, joy, ambition, love, everything. I will never not sing this song verbatim no matter where I am or whoever happens to be around.

"Oh, you've got green eyes;
Oh, you've got blue eyes;
Oh, you've got grey eyes;
And I've never seen anyone quite like you before,
No, I've never met anyone quite like you before"

7. The Smiths - This Charming Man

This is my absolute favorite song for all the right reasons: the stunning guitar lick, the running rhythm of the bass, the loud drums, and Morrissey's god-like voice. Whenever I'm home and let this song play, I have to grab one of my guitars or my bass to play along. Otherwise, I'll sing this song as shamelessly as I do the others. Overall, this song gives me a confidence boost like no other; it gets the blood flowing, makes my mind sharper, and it makes me want to dress and look my best each day. I hear it and want to be as cocky and flamboyant as Morrissey when he croons "Why pamper life's complexity when the leather runs smooth on the passenger's seat?" or "This man said 'it's gruesome that someone so handsome should care.'" This song is my mantra and probably responsible for turning so many of the bad days into great ones. I would not have survived college, even less my senior year, without this masterpiece.

My senior year has been a tumultuous ride of extreme highs and extreme lows, possibly reflected in these seven songs that helped me get through. As I walk across that stage to signal the end of my undergrad years, perhaps these songs will be the soundtrack playing in my head to remind me of my entire experience.