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.