Senior year is something that we all aim to experience. It is one of the most exciting and terrifying years of our lives and we experience many different emotions throughout the those though months. No matter how ready or confident we may be, we all feel these five things as we approach the end of our college careers.

1. Sadness and happiness about your last spring break

Your last spring break as an undergrad is very bittersweet. You’ll be so ready to go, as always because it’s SPRING BREAK, but about halfway through it’ll hit you that this is the last spring break you’ll ever get. For many, this will be the last big vacation you’ll get before graduating and starting your careers. For those going on to graduate school, this is the last REAL break you’ll get for a long time. GRAD SCHOOL IS NO JOKE. Make the most of this final hoorah. Take tons of pictures, laugh a lot, commit every second to memory. This is the one you’re going to remember.

2. Relief over making your final schedule

It’s always exciting getting that notification about next semester sign-ups. New classes, new teachers, one semester closer to graduating. But that final semester hits hard. You realize that this is the last time you’ll ever sort through the catalog the last time you’ll look up your teachers on Rate My Professor, and the last time you’ll struggle to make the perfect schedule with no morning classes. Okay so maybe this is pretty exciting, but at the same time, it’s pretty scary.

3. Fatigue and increased senioritis

We’re all familiar with senioritis. In high school, we used it as an excuse to take the easy classes and slack off until graduation. We let it be a good reason for senior skip days and being late for class. In high school this was easy. In college, classes are extremely hard because these are the MOST IMPORTANT classes of our college careers. Slacking off comes easy and procrastination is inevitable but indulges these impulses at your own risk. Your final year of college increases your need for sleep and relaxation, but it can come at a dangerous cost and you’ll feel that stress the closer it gets to graduation.

4. Joy and renewed happiness about graduating

From the second senior year starts we’re excited about getting those applications in, picking up our caps and gowns, and decorating our caps to walk in the longest most liberating processional of our entire lives. While we forget this feeling a little bit because of the stress and anxiety of classes and finals, this feeling comes back and pushes us through the rough ending towards the exciting life ahead.

5. Anxiety about your future

We all felt this anxiety at the end of high school, but now it’s all real. After college, we get thrown out into the real world and we truly become adults. AND IT’S TERRIFYING. If you say you’re not freaking out even a little bit then you’re lying. Everyone gets scared of their futures. Yes, it’s an exciting step, but it’s also one of the biggest and scariest steps you’ll ever make. While it’s one we have to take, we should tread carefully. Be cautious yet confident and don’t let your fear get the best of you.