I have a bad case of senioritis. It’s chronic and I’ve had it since freshman year. It has finally caught up to me.

Graduation is swiftly approaching and I am jobless (didn’t really try, though), broke and faced with two dreadful words: ‘Now what?’ College is a wonderful place where you can be an adult without actually having the responsibilities of one.

It’s a nice bubble for you to jump into after high school and some may view it as a mere extension of high school, except you don’t have a curfew and no one cares about your AP and SAT scores. Your only responsibilities are to go to class, get what you pay for and learn some stuff, and then get shit-faced afterwards. Then you become a senior and it’s all over.

I’ve attended college and discovered the secret of it, the secret of life. Ready? It’s all bullshit. What you have to do is get through the bullshit to find what you love, your passion and purpose. Then immerse yourself. You will feel over-worked and underappreciated more than you ever should, but as long as someone recognizes your passion, it will be worth it. I’ve learned more outside of the classroom at Binghamton University than inside a stuffy lecture hall.

Yeah, I probably should have read a few more books and studied a little harder, but learning how to be a person is more important to me than learning psych stats. However, there are a few professors here that have encouraged me to ‘think outside of the box’ and also to not use clich√É©s like that. I thank you all. Find those professors; take classes you’re interested in instead of fulfilling your GenEds in a year.

The best thing I’ve gained from Binghamton is love. I’ve fallen in love, many times and in multiple capacities. My words of advice for you still ‘stuck’ here is to fall in love as much as you can. Get involved early on. Make your mistakes as a stupid freshman; learn from them and the mistakes of your peers. Don’t hold grudges. Take lots of pictures, document truth. Don’t study too hard; have as much fun as you can because the ‘real world’ won’t let you get away with half the shit you’re doing now.

It’s hard to sum up four years in 500 words. My senior year has been a time of mild depression and reflection. I’ve gained knowledge and perspective, but feel less valuable and more expensive. I look back on my four years at Binghamton and it’s as if I’ve been here for a decade, but at the same time, I can’t believe how fast it has gone by.

Enjoy every second of it. As for me, I’m scared shitless, but I’m moving on in my pursuit of happiness.