Over the past few months, I’ve written a lot about how nervous I am to graduate, to leave college for good, and enter the real world. I’ve felt scared, nervous, anxious, and every other emotion that comes naturally to a graduating senior.

I’ve stressed about my lack of job, the economy, and how the heck I am going to figure out things like insurance, paying bills, and not drinking on Sunday nights. But despite all my reservations about leaving the wonderful world of college behind, I’m also really, really, fantastically excited to graduate.

Like many of you, I’ve had the best time over the past four years. I literally cannot imagine my life any differently. When I was a senior in high school, leaving my comfort zone for a college over 2,000 miles across the country was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. But it was also the best decision I’ve ever made. I knew no one and had no friends. But four years later, I’ve found a network of teachers, mentors, and peers that have helped me grow into the person I want to be. Who knows what my life would be like without the people I’ve met or the experiences I’ve had here in college?

Now college is almost over and I’m right back to how I felt in May of my high school senior year. I don’t exactly know what the next step is, but I think I’m finally ready for it.

Yes, I’m still scared and nervous, but I’m surprised at how excited I am starting to feel. And yes, a small part of me still wants to crawl up in the fetal position, turn on Norah Jones, and weep irrationally. But a bigger part of me wants to dance my face off to the Vitamin C graduation song, Jay Z’s legit version of Forever Young or Asher Roth’s I love College.

Not feeling the same way? Well with the help of my amazing and incredibly attractive friends, I’ve compiled a list of reasons why I’m excited to graduate. Read them and maybe (or maybe not) you’ll be a fraction more excited than you currently are about graduation day and that mysterious time they call life after college.

TOP 10 REASONS I’M EXCITED TO GRADUATE

10. No more shower shoes. Enough said.

9. Money – I want and need to start making it. I thrive in a work environment more than an academic one, so please someone hire me. But seriously, do it. I want to start a career already, instead of working on problem sets and papers. No more lectures!

8. To expand my network – I love the people I’ve met during college, but I’m ready to meet new people, have new conversations, and have new experiences!

7. A change of scene – I’ve been here for four years. I’m getting a little bit of cabin fever. I don’t want to end up like that creepy man from The Shining before graduation. And although I know I’ll miss this place incredibly, I can’t wait to move to a city!

6. To cook for myself – No more dining hall food or limited dinner options. If I want baked tofu for dinner, I can have it and no one can stop me!

5. Reading for pleasure – I miss reading books that aren’t required reading. I also miss a good beach read that is simple entertainment, rather than a brain challenger. Give me some Danielle Steel please, instead of an epic novel filled with symbols and metaphors that I have to struggle to understand.

4. To not feel pressure to party -…or drink on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday night… or any other day that ends in Y.

3. To get healthy – My body needs to recover from four years of late night eating, copious amounts of booze, and all-nighters. I have to remind myself that beer is not a food group despite my current diet.

2. To have my own space – Don’t get me wrong, I love my roomie…but I can’t wait to have my own space and my own room again. (Honestly, I just want to walk around naked whenever I want…). Also, I really don’t want to hear that girl down the hall having sexy time for the third time today.

1. No more frat boys! – I can’t wait to meet guys who are outside of the college mentality. No more popped collars! Also, totes looking forward to guys who understand that going to the dining hall for dinner does not count as a date.

What are some of the reasons why you’re excited to graduate?

Maybe it was the “this semester’s going to be different” syndrome that somehow possessed you to sign up for that early morning seminar. Or maybe it’s that pesky biology course that you’ve put off for the last 3 semesters — the one you have to take to declare your major. Either way, we all succumb now and then to the evilest of academia plaguing our university campuses – 8 AM classes.

After spending about five lectures cursing the school’s scheduling system, you realize that you actually have to suck up this class for the entire term. When you finally come to that place of acceptance, rely on these survival tips to get you through the long road ahead:

1. Prepare your sh*t ahead of time – It takes about 5 minutes to sleepily throw everything you need in your school bag before you hit the hay. Make sure to grab the essentials. Notebook? Check. Pens and pencils? Got ‘em. New York Times sudoku book? Hell yeah!

2. Set your alarm to your own sleeping habits – Personally, I like to set my alarm to about 20 to 30 minutes before the time I absolutely have to wake up, also known as the Oh Sh*t Hour. That way, I can have the satisfaction of slapping my snooze button without actually being late for class. Now, if you’re like my roommate, you may want to set your alarm at the actual O.S.H., or else you may automatically turn off your alarm in your sleep.

3. Drink coffee – And lots of it.

4. Bring breakfast with you – Let’s be real, most of us run a little late when it’s 7:45 in the morning, leaving no time to prepare let alone eat a hearty meal. I trust that you’ve seen the Special K Red Berries commercial, so you know that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” I don’t like to lose any opportunity to eat, so I make an easy breakfast that I can eat in class. One of my favorites is the parfait – nonfat plain yogurt, granola, and mixed frozen or fresh fruit. Clean, easy, and effectively makes everybody around you drool in jealousy.

5. Wear your gym clothes to class – This is one of my personal faves. Wear gym clothes to class so you don’t have to get up earlier to get ready. It doesn’t even matter if you plan to go to the gym or even have a membership. As long as you’re wearing gym clothes you can be certain of two things: 1) You will be comfortable and 2) You can speed walk/run to class without breaking an ankle. This also doubles as an excuse to look like crap while still appearing as there’s a purpose to your raggedness.

Good luck and take heart: you’re not the only one struggling to keep those eyes open this morning…