As a senior who is about to graduate in May, I have been looking back at my time as an undergraduate student a lot lately. Some parts of my college career have been everything I thought they would be and more, and other parts, not so much. From freshman year to senior year, I have made friends and memories, and learned more about myself and the world around me than I could have ever imagined. Looking back, I can say that I definitely had fun during all four of my college years, but some are definitely better than others.

Fifth Place: The Victory Lap Senior

I am eternally grateful for the counselors and professors that have kept me from this victory lap life. As a student at a small liberal arts university, there is no way I could possibly escape even a year of school debt free without my scholarship, and unfortunately, those run out after four years. Not to mention, you're stuck in the same place while your friends are starting their new jobs or furthering their education in a new place. Not all things about this year are bad, though. As a fifth year senior, you know your university frontwards and backwards, you know the best bars, and you know how much work you have to do to pass. Plus, you get an extra year to hang out in a comfortable place on your parent's dime.

Fourth Place: Sophomore Year

So, you made it through your first year of college and are totally happy and in love with your college home. If you pledged a sorority or fraternity, you are coming back to your "family" and best friends. If not, you're coming back to your "family" and best friends. You are so glad to get out from under your parent's roof again, and you expect everything to be the same as it was your freshman year. Unfortunately, you are probably wrong. All of a sudden, your classes are hard. You're not the baby of your Greek family anymore, and no one makes a big deal out of you anymore. Frat parties are a little less fun, and you realize how annoying it is to take care of really drunk eighteen year olds...even though you yourself are probably only nineteen.

Third Place: Junior Year

Again, you come back to school after a summer away ready to take on another year of school. Just like your sophomore year, classes are getting harder again. All of a sudden, people keep asking you what you're doing with your life, and you wish you could tell them. You also are probably feeling pressure to get an internship for the summer because the idea of returning to your parent's house for ANOTHER summer is unbearable. The good news? Everyone is turning twenty-one! You can finally toss your fake ID's and break out those "I'm 21!" birthday sashes that earn you free drinks all night. Thirsty Thursdays now take place at a local bar with $2 beers, and you are the cool upper-classman who can buy alcohol for the parties. You realize this gets expensive, however, and are jealous of the freshman with their high school bodies that still get everything for free.

Second Place: Senior Year

You've done it! You've made it to senior year, and graduation is just around the corner. You land that dream job or get accepted in to law school, grad school, or med school before second semester, making "C's get degrees" a reality for you. You realize that you only have a few months left with your best friends, so you try to make the best of every moment. You don't know where you will all end up, but you know that you are walking across that stage with the best people by your side. You realize that you're not actually old like you think, so you pretend that you're a freshman again and start partying hard. You live with #noregrets because you know who you are, where you're going, and who your true friends are.

First Place: Freshman Year

So you choose a college and show up on the first day, most likely scared out of your mind. Quickly, you make friends and realize how nice it is to make your own decisions though. If you pledge a sorority or fraternity, you are the babies for a whole year, and everyone makes a big deal out of your existence. You are so excited for literally everything college offers you. Classes are easy, you have time for the gym and all the clubs you could dream of, and you learn basement songs and how to do shots from the older people on campus. You dream big and promise to make the best out of the four years ahead of you... And guess what? You totally do.

Like I said, college has definitely had its ups and downs. Every year changed me in some way, always for the better. No year of college was bad, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of the incoming freshmen who have their whole experience in front of them.