Haylee’s Corner: The Realization

Every Friday, our intern Haylee Myren blogs about her life and journey as a college senior. 

It feels like just yesterday I was lying on the beach in Australia feeling the grainy sand stuck in-between my toes and the ocean breeze run through my salted hair. It was junior year.  I was abroad in one of the most beautiful countries. And, I didn’t have a care in the world.

Fast forward 12 months—

January 2018. Senior year. The last hoorah. Applying for jobs. Figuring out what you are going to be doing for the rest of your life. The year of “lasts” but also of “firsts”…..

The year that you’re forced to ride a rollercoaster of emotions.

Anxiety. Excitement. Fear. Uncertainty. Stress. Hopefulness.

Accurately describing the emotions felt by a senior college student is next to impossible- until you’re in that position; feeling those emotions.

How? How has a full year gone by from when I was first boarding the plane to fly overseas?

How? How has three years gone by from when I first walked onto campus and into the freshmen dormitory? People always tell you, “Time flies”, “Enjoy College while you can”, “It will be over before you know it”.

Listen to those people. They are right.

It doesn’t hit you as soon as you think it will. It doesn’t hit you junior year. It doesn’t hit you the summer before senior year. It doesn’t even hit you as you’re signing up for classes for the very last time.

It hits you as you watch the last football game. As you’re sitting around your living room laughing with the best friends you’ve build relationships with over the past four years. Over your senior year spring break trip. As you walk into your last semester of classes. While you turn in your last assignment (yes, this is accompanied with joy and a sense of accomplishment). It hits you as you sit around the Christmas and Easter table and your family asks you the dreaded questions; “What are your plans after college?” “Do you have a job lined up?” “Are you at least looking?”

It hits you in the small moments of life. At the utmost random of times. And it hits hard.

Once you reach the realization that you only have a few months left of college, are then off on your own, working a real job, not surrounded by friends all the time—you realize how much you need to get accomplished senior year to set yourself up for success.

You realize you aren’t a kid anymore- in fact, you are a full grown adult. Like you’ve always begged to be treated like….. Congrats! Isn’t it fun?

You realize you need to find a full-time job….

Then, you realize you don’t quite know what you’re fully interested in -- or -- what you even want to do as a job…

You start realizing the hard questions: Are future employers going to like you? Are they going to want you? Are they going to be able to see what you’re actually capable of just based off of your resume?

-How are you going to get a job?

-How are you going to figure out your interests, if you haven’t yet?

-How are you going to make the most of senior year?

And the big question of the year:

How are you going to survive senior year of college and prepare yourself to be successful?

Follow my journey as I figure out how to successfully maneuver all aspects of being a senior in College.

Until next week—

Keep holding on tight, riding that roller coaster of emotions, and enjoying college while you can.