Nineteen seems to be the most pointless age there is. You are not in your twenties yet, and you are no longer attached to the same stereotypes that are associated with teenage years. You've done your time and you no longer deserve to be set aside with those "troubled teens," who are still suffering from the hormonal mess that is puberty.

At 19, you have finished your first year of college and have experienced a preview of independence. You've made it to class without your mom dragging your lifeless body out of bed (granted, your roommate may have subbed for your mom). You've begun making concrete plans for your future and understand how important every class (even the general ed ones) really are. You've lived on your own. You've developed communication skills and have formed bonds with strangers and professors. Most importantly, you are in no way the teenager you were once were.

Alas, 19 still ends in that "teen" syllable. While you may have become an active member of society, whose thoughts and ideas have the power to better the world and feed the hungry, you are still teenager. You've already been an "adult" for one year and have experienced the benefits, like voting and being arrested. But now you're ready for society to no longer see you as a teen and see you as a grown-up.

So, what do you do in this final year before you enter your twenties? ENJOY IT!

Wow, what a plot twist! But seriously, you are about to transition into a whole other stage in your life. And while you may think you are ready to take on the world now, it will still be there when you are 20 years old. Now is the time to suck up that last bit of teenage freedom before it is frowned upon to be a twentysomething watching Disney Channel and getting overjoyed when you have candy for dinner.

These last months as a teen are a time to celebrate. You are almost done with your teenage years and have survived all of the ugliness that goes along with it. You've gone through the brace-face stage. You've gone through that I-can-pull-bangs-off phase (and if you actually could, you are one of the lucky ones). You've gone through boyfriends-and-girlfriends phase, when you swore you'd love him or her forever, but only survived a month. You have changed in front of your own eyes, and you should be proud of who you have become. You are a young adult who can still be a crazy teen. You are living proof that it does get better. So enjoy 19, because after 20 the real world begins.