I remember being a senior in high school thinking that my life couldn’t get any better…and if I could go back and hit myself in the face, I would. But now it feels like I just blinked and I'm a junior in college.

My freshman year of college was full of excitement, nerves, new experiences, meeting new people, how to ball on a budget, bad decisions, how to make the best microwavable food and I learned more about myself than I thought was possible. And let me tell you, junior year is a whole world of difference that has consisted of a whole lot of fun but a whole lot of stress.

Listening to the constant question of, “SO what are your plans when you graduate?” or, “Your senior year is right around the corner, how do you feel about that?” I have so many different emotions about the future.

I think it’s the most frightening for me because I don’t know what’s to come. I know that I only have one more year left at my favorite place ever (Manhattan, KS), but that also means that I’m that much closer to the real world.

For someone who loves to be around their friends as much as me, college is actually the perfect place for me. And while I’m in no rush to graduate, all of a sudden, I can start to see the start of ‘real life’ setting in on me.

I have to actually, like, plan for the real world? I am going to have to find a job, a place to live, friends outside of school and possibly move away from my loved ones? No thanks, I’ll stay right here… at least right now anyway.

As much as I don’t want to leave the place I’m most comfortable, I’m hopeful for the future because there are new experiences to learn and new memories to be made. It’s good to be pushed outside your comfort zone because if not, there wouldn’t be room for growth.

The strange thing about college is things somehow fall into place without even realizing it. You come into a place where you know nearly nobody and you come out of it meeting the best people, creating memories that will never fade and somehow never wanting to leave.

College is meant to prepare us for being on our own, and while it does a great job at that, I don’t think I’m ready to be an adult and have adult responsibilities.

I know that this whole article has sounded like me complaining about college life and what I’m scared about but I wouldn’t trade being a college student for anything. I’m learning so much about myself and about people that I couldn’t have learned anywhere else.

The amount of freedom that you have when entering college is dangerous yet exhilarating. Having a major that I’m passionate about, and having friends and family that are supportive of my dreams makes me so thankful. Being a college student can be though sometimes but these are the times that shape the person you are going to be in the future so make the most of it and live it up now.