Some say that college is the best four years of your life. I sure hope not.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a blast here at Simpson the past three and a half years, and I intend to make this last semester one for the books. I’ve been united with my best friends, discovered myself and have learned what direction I’d like to begin my career. But that doesn’t mean that once I leave Simpson all the fun is over.

As a senior and as I take time to reminisce on the past few years I’m beginning to understand why teachers have us do the silly little assignments. I realize how the class in international marketing connects with lessons from United States history since 1867 and all other courses we don’t really want to take, but have to for our embedded skills.

In our capstone seminars, we have taken the small skills we have learned from all of our Simpson courses and weaved them together to form a robust portfolio that we’ll take to our first job and the many thereafter.

I don’t want to look back at my life and think, “wow, the four years at Simpson were the most fun I ever had.” No, Simpson just laid the foundation for every part of my life – careers, relationships, beliefs. To be a senior and to envision my future career and personal life is exciting. But it’s also very terrifying.

One we graduate on May 2^nd, we will be leaving on a lifelong adventure to all parts of the world. Some will get jobs in the Des Moines area, others will go to graduate school to continue their learning and a few will scatter to different parts of the country or other nations.

Never again will I live with four of my closest friends and be within a two-minute walking distance from all others on campus. I’ll leave Simpson College in hopes that I’ll be able to keep in close touch with all of the friends that I have made here.

Never again will I be able to compete in college athletics and travel to different schools with a team that has become an extended family. Sure, we will all find ways to continue to stay active in the sports (or organizations) that we have passion for, yet it will be different. 

Never again will I have four years to simply learn and to be selfish. Leaving Simpson I’ll begin to acquire more responsibilities. Cooking and cleaning are simple things that will begin to take up our time. Adding a significant other and beginning a family will increase our duties and leave little time for ourselves. It’s our last semester for us to do absorb knowledge from our professors and explore without major responsibility.

Being a college student has been the best four years of my life thus far, and with a mixed bag of fear and excitement I’ll step my way off the graduation stage onto a journey unknown.  

Senior Meg Lein is editor of ID Magazine and is studying public relations, management and marketing.