<p>Right now I am a junior in college, and I have finally realized that in less than 2 years I will be graduating.</p>
<p>Instead of looking forward to it, I find myself not. I feel nervous, a little scared, and just not ready yet. I guess school is the only thing I've ever really known. I have been thinking of going to law school, but sadly one of the "pros" for me is getting to stay in school for 3 more years if I do.</p>
<p>Do other people feel like this?</p>
<p>I have been here at the best school in the country for hardly two weeks as a freshman and I never want to leave.</p>
<p>Oh man, I have the SAME exact sentiments! But at the same time, I’m sick and tired of doing engineering problem sets, so I want to leave the HW/tests/midterms aspect of school but I don’t wanna look for a job and face the “real world”. I’ve been so busy with school work, I feel like I never had the time to stop and reflect on life, or think about the future.</p>
<p>Welcome to the Quarter-life crisis.</p>
<p>Really, this is totally normal from my perspective. We’ve spent our whole lives working towards more education. Now, unless we’re going to grad school, our education is over.</p>
<p>It’s a scary thing.</p>
<p>I actually want to face the real world. My experience with college has been very dour, so I am looking forward to getting the degree, getting a job, and moving out of my parents’ house, as much as I love them. </p>
<p>Honestly, I can’t wait for my graduation in 2013! It can not come soon enough.</p>
<p>I want to face the real world! I WANT to graduate. I just have to endure 3 more semesters after this one! And then … maybe … graduate school. So I’m not really done with school yet unless all 5 of the schools I apply to reject me.</p>
<p>I feel just like XX55XX feels. Can’t wait to finish college, get a job, move out and be on my own.</p>
<p>Been there, just enjoy it. Because in this economy (even if you attended a good college) you just have crippling depression and unemployment (or in my case menial labor) to look forward to :)</p>
<p>^ Thats not helping the morale!</p>
<p>Haha…just enjoy it. I am ever-thankful that I always took time out to admire how BEAUTIFUL campus was. I actually put forth the least effort senior year and got my best grades, because I was efficient and just tried to spend my time on the important things.</p>
<p>I personally hold a menial blue collar job as a college student. I know what it’s like.</p>
<p>Yeah but its worse when you have graduated. I have worked since my 14th birthday including throughout jobs and it was always like “this is supposed to teach you to work hard in school so you don’t have to have a crappy job for the rest of your life.” Reporting to the produce warehouse at dawn now doesn’t really teach me anything.</p>
<p>Undergrad is great for this point in my life: little school work, tons of free time, friends I love, activities I enjoy, but at the same time I am ready for more of a challenge. I am ready to graduate now, but I have 3 semesters left. I love the people, but I am over the frat and sports parties, the pointless work, the lack of challenging material. I want something more than a great social experience and good conversations with professors.</p>
<p>I would not enjoy this experience if I were 2 or 3 years older, meaning I do not want to be here forever. As much as I love it, a lot of my friends have graduated, and more are going to this year. I went to a house party and felt so old because there were so many freshmen. Meaning more time bar hopping, less time at house parties. </p>
<p>College is great for a period of time, and people grow out of the phase at different points. Graduating should be something to look forward to. The job economy was like this in the 80s, and my parents found excellent careers despite starting at a CC. I know people who have recently graduated law school and have a $200k/yr career lined up after internships. Nothing to be scared of. I have already done 45-60hr weeks without insurance, so the prospects of graduation don’t scare me.</p>
<p>Two more semesters for me 
and I can’t wait to never do p-sets again :-)</p>
<p>No, in fact I’m pretty sure what job I’ll have (the one I have now, just better funded, and with more time on my own projects), so it will just be a change from part-time to full-time.</p>
<p>The only thing I’ll miss is the freedom to “just not show up” once in a while and spent a day or so sleeping and watching bad TV. And some of my friends.</p>
<p>I remember sitting at my desk looking at my last final exam of my senior year.</p>
<p>I was seriously thinking about failing it on purpose so I would have to come back for another semester.</p>
<p>I thought that once I graduated, life would suck forever and I would be bored and miserable. I was an athlete, a partier and just loved the college life. I thought the “real world” was the epitamy of evil and I would spend the rest of my life as a soul-less shell, moving from cubicle to cubicle.</p>
<p>Much to my delightful surprise, I was wrong. Life doesn’t suck, and I still have my soul. It took some adjustment period, and for about the first year I still lived very much as a college student. I still had lots of friends on campus (was about 1 hour from where I moved after college) so I’d go back on weekends and party, go to football/basketball games and hit up happy hours during the weekday. Of course, I had my job, which seriously interfered with my social life, but I’d suck it up and grind out a 9-5.</p>
<p>Eventually, all my friends on campus graduated and moved on. I got tired of hangovers and settled down with a good girl. The bar/college scene wasn’t “me” anymore and I started the next chapter in my life.</p>
<p>It will take a bit of time to find your new identity, your post-college identity. But it will develop. </p>
<p>I can honestly say that the secret to happiness is about making good decisions and living a clean life. Remember, a clean conscience is a good pillow.</p>