Senior year creeps up on you faster than you may think. One moment you are moving into your Freshman year dorm and the next you are finishing up your first semester of your last year. Have you experienced everything possible? Have you done everything you could? Where are you going after graduation?
Questions like those can be haunting. I had them when I entered my last year at college. But now, as I’m wrapping up my last first semester of college I realize that those questions are only there to scare me. I have done everything I can and my time isn’t over yet. I can experience life before college is over and I move onto my next stage of life.
In College
Experiencing all that college life has to offer is only “completed” if you feel there is nothing you missed out on. There are plenty of events I was unable to go to due to homework or conflicts, but I have no regrets. I feel like I accomplished all I could in my years and it’s still not over yet. I have all my plans for my last semester laid out to ensure I leave feeling successful in both my education and how I spent my personal time.
Don’t let homework bring you down. Being busy with classwork is common but that is no reason to completely cut out everything fun. Take time to enjoy going to things like sports games, Spring Fling, department events, friends’ houses, club events, etc.
I found my enjoyment when I took a night a week to spend on myself. Whether that was going to dinner with friends, watching a movie, doing a craft, taking a walk, going out with friends, just relaxing with a friend or taking a nap. Before I started doing this I found that I would become extremely burnt out very fast and began to hate college. I didn’t want that to be my experience, so I took a step back to analyze why I was unhappy. When I found that I was miserable because of how busy I was making myself, I decided to devote some time to myself and my friends.
Last Hoorah
Senior year, for most, is your last year of classes, last year of exams, last year of studying terms or equations, last year of meeting people and trauma bonding over a stressful class, last year of attending college events, last year of eating food from the dining hall. A lot of “lasts”. The same could be said for your senior year of high school.
Make the most of every moment. Don’t just isolate and resort to being alone to cram out all of your work. Get out some times and have fun. Experience life. Allow yourself to breathe, it’s your last year and you deserve to enjoy it. There will be times where it will get stressful, but if you let those control your last year then you may end up leaving with regret.
Work hard, but don’t overwork.
Personally
My own personal experiences so far my senior year have been stressful. This (Fall 2023) has been one of my more packed semesters. I haven’t had time to go out with friends, I spent a lot of time in my room studying and doing homework, I have two jobs, and I definitely didn’t spend the time with my friends that I wanted to. But that’s not the end.
I planned my last semester of college to be more relaxing and enjoyable. Spring 2024 is going to be my lightest load of classwork and I am so excited. I am planning on being more present with my friends and engaging more in campus life events. I haven’t got down on myself for not “experiencing everything” this past semester. There was nothing I could do with the amount of coursework I had. Which means I am planning on enjoying my last semester. Enjoying graduation in May, enjoying work throughout the semester, enjoying the friendships I have made throughout college. There is no shame in being busy.
Experience all of the college life you can while you are here.