I never expected being a junior in college to be the strangest time of my life. Based on TV shows and movies I imagined every year would be pretty similar. The big differences I knew about mainly focused on where I would be living. Now, I understand how drastically things can change in just a few short years. In hindsight, I probably should have.
Different Places At The Same Time
A lot of people are living the stereotypical college life. Work hard, play hard. Classes all day, homework all night and partying all weekend. In all honesty, freshman year I lived this. I do not regret it, but it is exhausting and it just isn’t me and I’m not sure it ever was. I do not judge people that are still living their stereotypical college experience, but I don’t necessarily align with that anymore.
On the other side of the spectrum, I know a lot of couples that are getting engaged. Everyday I open Instagram and see another couple is getting married. Not older people, couples my age and younger. Sometimes it makes me jealous. I love my boyfriend and the idea of marriage gives me butterflies. Then, I remember that we both need degrees, jobs, money and a place to live. We want to travel together and save money before entering that part of our lives. I don’t judge these people either, like I said I’m jealous of them to some extent. I just am not ready to move on to adulthood.
Where Do I Stand?
I have friends in both of these groups and I love all of them. It is strange not to fall into either category completely, but to relate to each in different ways.
I have a long term boyfriend who I plan to spend my life with. Despite my history of hating school, I have grown to love my PR and writing classes. I am very passionate about personal health, wellness and balance. I enjoy yoga, walks, crafts, reading, writing and spending time with my loved ones. I am still a waitress working to save money for future plans. I am in no way ready for the real world, but I believe that I have grown out of “the college experience.”
Last semester, I was trying to fit into the college life I used to have. I realized that that is not who I am anymore and that is okay. We are all learning and growing at different paces. Though I have created these groups in my mind, I try to remind myself that it is not one or the other. There is a middle ground to lie in.
Like I said, being 20 is weird. I have a feeling things will only get weirder the older I get.
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