It really didn't hit me that I’m a junior until I actually stopped and thought about it. Two years of school has absolutely flown by and I’m sure the next two will as well. Just like high school, the years start to slip away right before your eyes. Except this time, it’s scarier, because you’ll be done with school (most likely) for good, and you’ll have to actually make your way into the real world once you graduate. Those days come faster than we think, so we should be able to enjoy our time before we need to start being even more responsible.
Even though there are days where you wish you could be done with school completely and have no more tests, cramming study sessions, or days where you have to force yourself to stay awake during class, one day, for some strange reason, you’ll miss those days. Instead of studying and homework, you’ll have a full time job and maybe even a family to support. You’ll miss the days where you got to see your college friends and how you can find the time to go out on random adventures with them between classes. Even though it seems like there’s never enough time to have fun during school, you will realize all you had the opportunity to do when it’s all said and done. Don’t leave school wishing you had been able to do more, find the time to do all those things now.
One day soon we’ll have even more responsibilities to handle by ourselves and it won’t be so “simple.” I say “simple” because it really isn’t easy now, but it’s just going to get harder and one day we’ll see these days as much simpler times than we do now. For some people, college may not be the best years of their life, but you should try to make them as fun as you can while you’re here. These are definitely the years you’ll remember because who can forget their college experience? Make sure there’s some fun stories that you can tell your kids and grandkids one day, not just all the homework you got and tests you took.
Sure, college is supposed to be the time where you push yourself to do better for your future, but you should also be able to enjoy some time to just let loose and have fun. Somehow, between all the studying and homework, we should be finding time to do the things that make us happy. If you’re spending all this money to go to school, you should be able to enjoy it. These days don’t last forever so don’t spend it being too caught up in the stress of school.
So, instead of just letting your years at school slip away by being miserable, make them as fun and exciting as you can. One day you will look back and wish you could go back to these days, so you might as well make them years you’ll never forget. Skip studying for one night and go for a late night drive with your friends. Skip a class or two (but not too many!) and hang out with your friend for the day. Use your time wisely, because one day you’ll wish you could have it all back. College doesn’t last forever, but the memories we make while we’re in school should be enough to last a lifetime.
