For the past four months, my life has resembled that of a rabbit hole.
Since the start of my senior year of college, I’ve felt like Alice tumbling down a tunnel of dark, uncertain reality.
At least I’m not alone.
At least I can say 75 percent of my graduating class feels the same way.
I think we can unanimously agree this is a very important time in our lives.
A lot of hard thinking must be done, and a lot of difficult decisions must be made.
Now is the time we determine the next chapter of our lives because as soon as a college diploma is placed in our hands, our lives are going to change forever.
It reminds me of when we were all applying to college, but this time around, it feels a tad bit scarier.
Now we're all applying to full-time jobs.
We’ve been students for as long as we can remember, and in six months, we won’t be students anymore.
What makes it even scarier is we’re going to be adults.
Here is when I step back, scratch my head with wide eyes and say, “Me? An adult? I still can’t cook red meat!”
Right now, we're all senior degenerates who go to class in sweatpants and drink a double bottle of red wine on a Tuesday night because we feel like it.
And we’re expected to have our sh*t together in six months?
We’re expected to know what we want for the rest of our lives?
Now, I’m going to take another step back.
Despite external pressures, there’s something we seem to forget when life moves too fast.
We’re not supposed to have all the answers.
We’re not supposed to have our sh*t together and our lives figured out.
Life is full of curveballs no matter what age you are.
Even when we try to control the future, we never know what’s going to hit next.
So, why stress?
Many of us forget to take that crucial step back and breathe.
Sometimes, you need someone there to remind you you’re doing just fine, so I did just that.
I asked 15 different college students to finish this sentence:
“The best piece of advice I have ever received is...” and this is what I got:
No doesn’t require an explanation. It can be answered on its own with no further justifications.
— Sydney, 21
No one has the same heart as you.
— Melissa, 21
Whatever you’re stressing about right now probably won’t matter in five years.
— Mel, 21
Don’t let your mind stop you from having a good time.
— Ashley, 19
Always bring a condom. Never depend on the guy to have one. In fact, never depend on a guy period. You don’t need one. The only person you need is yourself.
— Sophia, 19
More often than not, if it seems like your worst nightmare, it’s a blessing in disguise.
— Liza, 21
My mother told me this when I started college, and it always stuck with me: People can fire you, people can find reasons not to hire you, people can take away every single thing in your life, but nobody can take away your education.
— Bayley, 21
Don’t listen to anyone. You can have your cake and eat it, too.
— John, 18
Whenever I asked my mother why she divorced my father, she responds with this, 'Love is an action, not a feeling. Never stay with someone who doesn’t give you the love you deserve.'
— Lindsey, 19
Concentrate on loving yourself. The rest of the world will follow.
— Elena, 21
The biggest desire of every human is to be understood, so make sure you’re always an effective listener.
— Jake, 20
It’s not what you to do someone, it’s when and where you do it that's more important.
— Benny, 21
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was surprisingly from a frat boy. He said stop apologizing for things you’ve done in your life.
— Brooke, 21
Go out and get what you want. Don’t wait for it to be handed to you.
— Alex, 21
Be yourself because everyone else is taken.
— Nicole, 19
