Being in college is like beingon a diet and locking yourself

in a room full of honey buns.

There is so much temptation.

You cannot resist. You partake

gluttonously and savor every

morsel.

And just as you digest the

last bite, burning worry and

pressure and guilt settle on

your stomach like the worst

case of acid reflux.

Senior year is like that acid

reflux.

After four years, I definitely

have the hang of this college

thing. I take the best professors.

I order my books online.

All the panic and uncertainty

of freshman year is far behind

me.

But sometimes, even with

such a plethora of experience,

there is an inexplicable, penetrating

layer of dismal gloom

about this year that seems to

shadow me constantly.

It is the fact that I am fully

confident that I can put no confidence

in my future. My heart

sinks as I move forward and

backward simultaneously.

On one hand, I have finally

acquired the coveted senior status.

I can take my easy classes

now, and I anticipate the arrival

of expensive graduation gifts.

On the other hand, I find

myself trapped in a dark abyss

as I prepare for the GRE and

brace myself for the possibility

of depressing rejection from

the grad schools I’ve set my

heart on.

In hindsight, my freshman,

sophomore and junior years of

college were quite misleading.

Those years caused me to

believe that the world was my

oyster.

But, in the end,I found that

in the real world, your oyster

can be contaminated by an oilridden

Gulf Coast.

I was told that the choice was

mine. But I learned that sometimes

your choices are limited.

I believed that the sky was the

limit. But with all the business

execs tumbling from skyscrapers

in their pinstriped suits and

their golden parachutes, there

is not much sky to be reached.

In essence, I realized that our

harsh reality does not always

harbor the optimum climate

for our dreams.

But that is no excuse to stop

dreaming because sometimes

a little dose of reality is all the

motivation we need.

And this new well of knowledge

has revealed to me the

true beauty of adulthood.

While for years, I longed

for its abundant freedoms and

seemingly endless privileges,

never once did I consider the

weight of its responsibilities

and obligations.

One’s senior year of college

can be likened to an ascending

escalator. It is the vehicle

to your inevitable destination:

adulthood. And no matter how

many backward steps you take,

your ass is going to the next

level. Willing or not.

My intent is not to scare the

wits out of the seniors, but

rather to encourage the freshmen,

sophomores and juniors.

So, freshmen, I implore you

to enjoy the harsh transitions.

Sophomores, soak up the comfort

of knowing that you have

time to figure out what you

want to do.

And juniors, enjoy the time

you spend doing everything but

what you should be doing.

Enjoy these years. Live them

like you can never go back to

them.

Because, well … you can’t.

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