College...I'm going to that?

Grace Mcclanahan

College…I’m going to that. What the heck?!

I, like lots of my friends, spent my growing up years ready to do just that, grow up. When I was nine, all I wanted was to be a “cool kid” in the double digits. Twelve year old me was dying to be a teen. At sixteen, I couldn’t wait to graduate, move out, and be an eighteen year old “adult.” 

Well, now I’m all grown up, and it doesn’t feel quite as empowering as I once imagined. In the fall, I’m going to be moving 272 long miles away from home, and I’m absolutely terrified. I didn’t become fully independent just because one day I woke up and turned the magical adult age of eighteen. As I get ready to leave, I’m realizing just how much I’ve relied on my family all of these years. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve any success without my parents

behind me ready to catch me if I fell. The parental unit safety is basically being yanked away, and while I’m apprehensive, I’m also a bit relieved. I love my parents, and I need their support, but I’m ready to see how I handle myself knowing they aren’t a flight of stairs away.

I want all of the good, the bad, and the ugly college has to offer. I want to have to rely on myself and only myself for a change. I’m not saying I expect my new solo responsibilities to be easy. I’m just excited for the challenge.

College, ready or not, here I come.