It’s about that time. The senior class is beginning to finish up their last few papers and are starting to study for their finals. They’re picking up their cap and gowns. They’re starting to get anxious and emotional.
The lives we have shaped for ourselves for the last four years are about to take a drastic turn. We are about to take the next step into our lives, as real adults, finding jobs and starting careers we have worked so hard in our majors for. We are about to graduate college, a wonderful time for some, a terrifying time for others.
For most of us, we have spent our college years learning, experiencing, and becoming an adult. Many students do this away from their parents, and other then during breaks, have lived out of the nest since they were 18. But now it’s time to fly back, because lets be honest, who has the money to move out officially? Not this girl. For the last four years I have lived away from my parents during the school year, forming my own style of living and doing things. Not really though, considering almost everything I did, ate, and paid for came out of their bank accounts.
But I’ve becoming accustom to doing my own thing. I come and go as I please, eat snacks instead of real meals, and stay up until 4 am doing work that I procrastinated doing. Luckily, I have parents that give me space and let me do my own thing, but I will obviously be under their roof again. I can’t not wash dishes for a couple days just because I don’t feel like it. When I come home every summer, I live out of boxes and bags and never really unpack everything because I know I’ll be heading down to school again eventually. But this year, that won’t happen. My mom won’t tolerate tripping over bags of clothes, everything is going to have a find a spot because I’m not going anywhere, for a while. That’s weird to say the least.
Michelle Levash, a senior English and elementary education student, moved back home last semester to do student teaching. Unlike most college students, she was excited to get back home and into her old routine. “It was a transition to be back home after living at school, but I’m very lucky to have parents who let me do my own thing without bothering me too much. I was pretty stoked to live with my dogs everyday again, to be honest.”
Eric Szkodny, a history and secondary education student, feels the complete opposite. “It’s depressing, really. I’ve gotten so used to living on my own and doing my own thing so moving back home is a bummer. I’m going to miss all of my friends and fraternity brothers, not to mention my girlfriend who I won’t get to see everyday. The parties over.”
I can’t say that I’m necessarily thrilled to be moving back home. Yes, I’m very close with my family and love seeing them, but I’ve gotten used to seeing my friends and boyfriend everyday. If I want to grab a bite to eat with them, we meet up. If I want to go to their houses, I walk in. Almost all of my friends, including my boyfriend, live an hour away from my house in North Jersey. It’s going to be an adjustment to not seeing them whenever I want and actually having to make plans. Once we all start getting jobs and being busy with our adult lives, we probably won’t get to see each other as often.
I’ll also have to readjust to my family’s lifestyle. Living with roommates can get loud and crazy, but living with my family is definitely more hectic. My parents both have jobs to go too, my two brothers are both in high school and are always running to games, practices, and friend’s houses.
Once I get a real life job, I’m going to have to share the bathroom with two teenage boys trying to get ready. On weekends, I’m going to be woken up early because everyone is always running to get somewhere, seven days a week. My life at school can get stressful but at least I could sleep until 1 pm on the weekends to make up for the week before.
Keri Mullin, a senior accounting student, said, “Even though we’re old enough to do things ourselves, because we are technically adults, I feel like when I move back home I’ll still have a curfew and have to do chores and not stay up late. It’s great to be with my family again, but it’ll be hard to readjust to them and not being on my ridiculous college student schedule will be extremely hard.”
Unlike most college kids, I’m excited to graduate. I can’t wait to move on with my life and start a new chapter, whatever that will be. It’s scary and makes me anxious, but I’m excited about it too. Just as when I was a senior in high school, I’m ready to be done with school. It’s going to be a transition to go back home, for good this time, and settle my life there, but sooner than later, I’ll be packing up to move out again. The last four years have moved insanely fast and I can’t believe the party is really over. It’s time to fly back home, seniors, I wish you all the best of luck.
IMAGE TAKEN from britishcouncil.org
