When it occurred to me I was beginning my senior year of college, I was immediately dealing with a multitude of emotions. It is a bittersweet time; after thinking through my college years, I realized a few key things I can do myself to ensure my college career in ends in a fulfilling way.

I first needed to overcome the fact that not only would this be the first year I would not be involved in an unhealthy relationship, but also that I would not be making those cliché final memories with the friends I had been in school with since kindergarten. Being a big over thinker, this all became very stressful to deal with. Would I make new friends? Why would I bother when everyone will just be graduating in May anyway? Luckily, I have had time before going back to school to realize this is not the mindset to have in attempting to have a successful senior year.

In order to resolve this stressful, painful and toxic way of thinking, I decided to set goals for myself that I will try to accomplish throughout my last year of college. While I have tried this before, I decided I needed to make my goals more reasonable and attainable so as to actually have the ability and will to fulfill them. Otherwise, I am left feeling like a failure and no better off than when I set my goals in the first place. Below are some examples of goals I have for myself this school year:

- Make new friends

Although this seems like a very elementary-level goal, it is one of the most important goals I have for myself. This is something that can be done anytime, anywhere – in class, at the library, at the bars, at work. Having a social life and a variety of friends is so important because I think the people you surround yourself with influence who you are as an individual. In that sense, I want to make sure I am meeting new people who not only make me feel more like myself, but expand my views on the world.

- Try something new

I think experimentation and trying new things is so critical at this time in our lives. We are growing up, making mistakes and learning every day. Going out and doing something different is what keeps life interesting. You cannot live every day in the same way as the last, as that is not productive in learning about the world and the opportunities that are right in front of you; nor does it allow you to discover yourself and expand your mindset and understanding of the world. Whether it is trying a new restaurant or doing something you have not done before like camping, trying something new will give you a motivating feeling that there is more out there. This is similar to the period in our lives when we are learning to walk and talk – we are learning “to adult,” to grow up. We will come across obstacles and fall down from time to time, but you always have to get back up in order to be successful.

- Learn to overcome

This is a very important goal for me to fulfill because I think there are many things college students experience that are very influential on our mindsets, but that cannot be dwelled over very long because of how precious time is in this part of life. For example, your first relationship is nothing what you wanted it to be, you have been heartbroken for the first time, you did not get accepted into your major or maybe you did not get offered the job you had worked so hard for. These are all very significant events in our lives that impact our attitudes and behavior because of how vulnerable we are in this stage of life.

In the midst of setting these goals, I became a lot more motivated, encouraged and confident in myself to have an amazing final year of college. In fact, I felt like I wanted, needed, more time in college to be a kid, be 21 years old, make friends and take advantage of more opportunities. I think many people can relate to the feeling of not wanting to be done with college, or wanting to go back. So, what better option did I have than to apply for graduate school? I am happy to say that I have set up a plan to apply for graduate school to earn a double master’s degree on top of my undergraduate degree and double minor.

What I have learned from having to cope with a stressful situation is this: it is OK to feel stressed or scared or anxious about something. Especially something like graduating college, as there are many uncertainties that can lie ahead of you afterward. What is necessary is to incorporate more positive attitudes into your thought process in order to make coping with the stress healthier and more productive. Setting attainable goals and embracing the many opportunities life hands us are two very important keys to coping because you are truly living life to the fullest and reaping all of the benefits you have provided yourself from all of the pain, struggle and work you have put into life.