Graduation is upon us, a bittersweet time of farewells and new beginnings. As seniors check out, juniors step up the ladder. Now that we’re at the top, the anticipation for our final year in college is strong. How do we feel knowing that our time here is limited to just one more year? 

As a soon-to-be senior, excitement is coursing through my veins, but fear is in the back of my head. What do you mean I only have one year left of college? It feels like yesterday I moved into Cabernet Village and met my lifelong best friends. Time flies, but I’m ready to make the most of my last school year. 

Like many others who will be in the class of 2025, there’s an extra excitement to be seniors and have a college graduation. Most of us had strange high school graduations due to COVID-19 and losing our senior year; something that you look forward to for years, but we never got the experience of important events like prom and other traditional activities. 

Some soon-to-be seniors are excited for what’s to come after graduation. Audrey Vetgniault, a third-year business and biology major and French minor, is looking ahead at her future and is excited to leave the US to travel and hopefully settle down somewhere in France. Vetgniault is driven to finish her college experience with good grades so that she can, “Find a job in Europe and live out my European lifestyle.” 

Others see graduation as a token of success and finality. Vianca Hinojosa, a third-year CALS major said, “I’m just happy that I’m almost done. It makes me feel like success is extremely close.” Amanda Ripic, a third-year psychology and art history major said she is ready for an actual senior year, where she can celebrate with friends and make memories that she never could in high school due to the pandemic. 

Third-years are looking back at the memories they’ve made in college so far and are shocked that they will already be seniors. Vetgniault’s main takeaway from college is, “Finding a place at university that you feel comfortable with so that you’re able to grow to the fullest of your potential and not being afraid to get out of your comfort zone if opportunities are shown or offered.” Many also see college as a place to make lifelong friends. Ripic said she found other students who would be her forever friends, “I found friends who understand me, and I treasure them.” 

Vetgniault had traveled around Europe during her second year and said it improved her college experience and memories, “I gained so much more knowledge that I can bring back to my future work and career.” Ripic was also a study abroad student and agreed that she will never forget these memories. 

Understandably, growing up is scary, and the realization that most juniors becoming seniors with only one year left of stability from college is nerve-wracking. Vetgniault weighed in, saying, “The aspect of not knowing where things will end up is scary… I’m hoping to travel for four months…but then after, I wonder, where do I end up now.” This is a similar feeling that many seniors experience, but it’s important to remember that we have an entire life ahead of us that will be filled with fun memories and learning lessons.