When I grew tired of the monotony of high school, I reassured myself that college was just a few short years away. I thought college would be easier and less stressful. I’d heard for years that “college will be the best four years of your life.” I was so ready to be having a blast 24/7 and to be making memories.

Now, I am in my senior year and will be graduating in the spring. Though I’ve had a great time here, met some great people and lifelong friends, and had wonderful life experiences, I’ve never felt more stressed, insecure, and anxious. I feel a pressure to do what everyone else is doing. The college bubble can make it feel like you aren’t really out in the world. You’re in a bubble with other people that, for the most part, are very similar to you. It’s nice to have a life away from the one in the town you grew up in, but it can also be kind of suffocating because although you’re hundreds of mile away from home, you’re still in a bubble.

Most of my friends have a plan for their lives after graduation in the spring. I have no idea what I want to do at all. I don’t even know if I want a career in my major. Feeling like everyone knows what they’re going to do next has left me wondering if I chose the wrong major. People say college is about finding yourself, but I feel just as lost as I did four years ago on my first day of class. Have I spent all this time and money on a degree that I ultimately won’t use? I also realize that I am beyond lucky by the simple fact that I was lucky enough to get to attend college in the first place. Many deserving kids with incredible potential know that a higher education is completely out of the question, and would probably give the world to trade places with me.

The idea of college being the best time of your life is limiting. I’ve had so much fun these past few years but I’ve also had some rough times. That’s life, though. It can’t be roses all the time, there are going to have to be some dark clouds. I think the danger in telling people that college is the best years of your life builds the idea of going to college up to unrealistic expectations. Then, when you’ve had a rough day or a rough few months, you’re left with the idea that it will only get worse from here. Is there really nothing else to look forward to?

Though the real world looms closer everyday, and I will undoubtedly miss college, I know that it won’t be the best years of my life. Why would you want your best times to be between the ages of 18-22? That time goes in the blink of an eye.