You see, I have a plan. I’m going to take my last two required college classes and then take on an internship for college credit so I don’t have to take a full course load can gain some real life experience without jumping into real life at full force.  But as I sit here and consider my potential schedule for next semester I start to realize, once again, just how final all of this is.

If everything goes according to plan (then again, nothing ever goes according to plan) I’ll only be in class two days per week next semester, six hours each day. Plus work, and the occasional club meeting/party/annual-event-I-swore-I’d never-attend-again-last-year. College life will still take up a decent chunk of my time, but not nearly as much time as it takes up right now. And it will be a complete turnaround from this semester, a semester that feels a whole lot like someone is playing a game of let’s see how long we can keep Jenn away from her bed before she collapses. So yeah, it will be different.

Less time on campus, means less time to be involved on campus. And as my college life gets closer to ending, my college life gets closer to ending. The school paper has already starting training editorial assistants to replace us, something I have a hard time grasping. We’re training people to replace us when I still feel like I need to be trained! And continuing with that theme, that campus job I had since I was a freshman? I’ve started training my replacement there as well.  And as I yammered on incessantly about the exact font size and label color that should be used on each folder, I started to realize exactly how not ready I am to hand over my color coded filing cabinet to someone else. (And, no, I don’t think it’s just because I’m a control freak, either.)

Adding to the already growing anxiety, my honors society has begun the process of inducting new members into our organization. (It’s a tiring process that involves booking rooms and ordering pins and making me want to pull my hair out of my head…) How is that possible? I feel like just yesterday, I was the one being inducted, and now I’m the one reminding everyone that they should be wearing business casual attire. Business casual attire? I own more jeans that any one person ever has the right to own. I have no business talking about business casual attire! (And don’t even get me started on how I’m going to have to wear it in 6 months….)

Every time I tutor someone in an introductory level class, every time I listen to a group of freshman discussing how long it’s been since they showered, (I kid you not!), every time I realize that guy I’ve been ogling has yet to turn 18, I am reminded once again that I’m closer to the end than I am to the beginning.

And just as I’m starting to come to terms with all of this craziness, I’m going to have to start letting some of it go -pull back from campus involvement, and step away from the color coded labels. For the first time in my college career I will (hopefully!) only be taking two courses. That means less time writing papers, less time pretending to write papers, and more time being a real person, or at least pretending to be real person.  But I think it’s a good thing that I won’t be on campus as much next semester. It will ease the transition process, pick and pull at the Band-aid instead of ripping it off all at once.

It will give those trainees a chance to take the lead, but I’ll still be close enough to remind them that we file things alphabetically by last name, not by first.

Click here to follow Jenn’s other ups and downs of senior year.

You know those “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up” essays you were assigned in sixth grade? Some kids wrote about wanting to be a rock star, a teacher, a mailman, a professional Sega Genesis player, an Olympic Pog champion…and you sat staring at your blank paper. How the heck are you supposed to know what you want to be at 11 years old?! And how the heck are we supposed to know now that we are in college?!

If you still find yourself lost and confused, don’t stress. Take a breath and open your school’s Courses Catalog. It’s time to pick a major. Having trouble finding your forte? Here are some tips and hints to finding your passion and turning it into a career (sorry, you can’t major in rock star):

Ask yourself: “What’s my favorite thing to do that makes me feel productive?” Could you see yourself doing this for the rest of your life? Would be willing to take a financially rewarding job at the cost of time with family? Or would you prefer a job that isn’t as lucrative, but is more fulfilling?

Make a trip to your Academic Advisor! They are trained to help you narrow down your favorite classes, enjoyable hobbies, and inner passions to pinpoint where you should study.

Don’t feel particularly passionate about just one thing? Choose a broad major that will allow you to find your own niche in that field. Psychology, Communications, and Business are all flexible career fields.

When choosing GE courses, pick ones from a variety of departments. Or pick a class that just seems fun. Knights of the Round Table 1A? Maybe it will spark an interest in the History major! Intro to Cinematography? You may just be a future Film major!

What are you good at? Take advantage of your natural talents and turn them into a career! Does your Myspace page look like it was pimped out by a pro? Take up Graphic Design! Do your friends compliment you on your feng shui abilities? Try Interior Decorating! Do you always succeed in your diet and fitness goals? Major in Nutrition or Exercise science!

Check out career and major fairs at your school! Booths are set up with brochures, professionals in the career, and professors and fellow students who know their stuff! Go to as many as you can find and don’t forget to bring a list of questions (and pick up free pencils and bookmarks. Score!).

Head to your local Barnes and Noble and pick up some helpful books like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Choosing a College Major by Randall S. Hansen, Major in Success: Make College Easier, Beat the System, and Get a Very Cool Job by Patrick Combs, and The College Board Book of Majors.

We are 11 years old anymore, and now is definitely the time to choose which path we want our lives to take. Although you may not go down the path of mailman (and that’s a good thing! Ever heard of “going postal?” It isn’t pretty), you can take the time to find out exactly where you fit in.

Have you already chosen a major that you love? Tell us about it and help out the former rock star wannabes in need!

But since I transferred after my freshman year, I lost a few credits. I still need to graduate in 2009; with the way tuition is, I can’t afford another semester or even another year. So since I was a little underweight in the distribution section, I decided to do what any smart, responsible college student would do; I signed up for summer classes.

Summer classes are no joke. They last just about a month, maybe a little bit longer. You’re learning things that are usually spread out throughout a semester, but crammed together into four weeks. It’s fast-paced, hectic, and time-consuming. It’s even harder if it’s a subject you’re not familiar with.

I’m taking Spanish 101 and 102 at my local community college to get my language requirement out of the way. Mind you, I’m already pretty well versed in Spanish. I took it for about ten years in baby steps. But now that it’s pretty much being crammed down my throat and even I’m having some difficulty.

If you’re taking summer classes, you can’t afford to be the slacker you might be tempted to be when those obscenely hot summer days roll around. You have to go to every class, because so much material is packed into one day that even that one absence can screw you over. You know that model student you promise you’re going to be in the beginning of the semester, but it eventually goes downhill? That’s the way you’ve gotta be during summer courses. Take notes, study, do all your homework, show up to every class, and ask questions. If you’re confused about something and you don’t take the chance to ask the professor right then, you’re pretty much screwed in terms of hoping it’s gonna come back up again to clarify itself. Trust me; it ain’t gonna happen.

The good thing about summer classes is that it’s over pretty quickly. Like I said, they range from about four to five weeks. After that, you never need to look at that Statistics or Baby Bio book again. They’re also pretty convenient; most colleges will readily let you transfer summer courses.

So if you’re lagging behind a bit in credits or just want to get that distribution out of the way, sign up for a summer course. It’s a little painful, but faster and even easier in the long run.

But damn if it isn’t mind over matter.

[Picture credit goes to: gettyimages.com]