College is not, in fact, the best years of your life.
Those are still to come.
For so many of us, “the best years of your life” is the … high expectation, to say the least. Although, maybe that’s justified. This is a time in our lives where late nights aren’t just for sleepless study sessions, but also for nights going out with friends, hours-long conversations about the meaning of life and channeling your independence in any way you’d like.
It’s a stepping stone into adulthood. It’s the peak of our youth. Life’s never getting better than that, right?
Wrong. Your youth doesn’t end after college. Your life isn’t going to bland and boring and adult after you graduate. In fact, the best years of your life are yet to come.
Your Independence Is Only Starting to Take Shape
College gives you a taste of independence — the freshman year feeling when you realize … nothing’s stopping you from doing or not doing anything; it’s entirely up to you. That’s something we’ve all felt.
You learn to figure out how you live on your own, manage your time and make choices that affect your future. However, consider the fact that you don’t necessarily know how to do these things the right way in college. College is a test run, adulthood is the real thing, after all.
After graduation, you gain a whole new level of freedom. No more semesters dictating your schedule, no more dining hall food or making dinner with whatever scraps you can find until the next grocery day.
You get to decide where you want to live, whether it’s staying close to home, moving across the country, or even taking a job overseas. Your career path, relationships and lifestyle are now entirely up to you and that kind of freedom opens doors to experiences college can’t offer.
You’ll Forge Friendships That Go Deeper
Friendships. Possibly the one part of college that can make even the worst of it bearable. The friendships you form in college can be very deep and meaningful and simultaneously difficult to let go of.
Post-college, though, the people you meet can add a new dimension to your life. You’ll meet coworkers, neighbors and others who become close friends not because they were in your dorm but because they connect with you at a deeper level. These are the friends who will support you through real-life changes — first jobs, major moves and everything that comes with adult life.
Adventures Don’t End When College Does
It’s easy to think that the excitement of life, the excitement of youth fades once you’ve left the comfortable bubble that is college. The truth is, though, the world opens up even more.
You’ll have the chance to experience cities you’ve never been to, try dipping your toes into hobbies and activities you never imagined and meet people from all walks of life. The spontaneity that feels so abundant in college doesn’t disappear; it just takes new forms.
Spontaneity can look different, too: it might be a weekend away, a last-minute concert or even packing up and moving somewhere entirely new. Adventures don’t need to be confined to the thrill of being young; they can be more meaningful, intentional and personal as you explore life on your own terms.
What do you think about this life transition? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @VALLEYmag on X!
