Four goals for my last semester of college

Seven semesters down, one to go. Time to commence internal freak out.

In what seems like a blink of an eye I’m in the home stretch of my college career. The dreaded G-word is less than four months away, and I’m in denial that I’ve already received an email about ordering my cap and gown. Just over a week ago I buckled my seatbelt on a plane from New York to L.A. to start my last semester of college, and I couldn’t help but feel that what I was really doing was strapping myself into the emotional roller coaster that will be this semester.

There’s certain things about college that I’m definitely ready to part with — from research papers to fraternity house floors coated in so many layers of beer that your shoes stick to the floor. It’s true that I’m also excited about what’s to come: hopefully a job that I love, maybe moving to a new city, meeting new people. But like most college seniors, part of me is a little bit terrified of what the real world holds. What will life look like when I don’t live in within walking distance of all my friends, when I’ll be forced to trade in the 9-0 for the 9 to 5, and when I actually become an adult?

However, I know I can’t stop the clock from ticking forward, and it won’t do me any good to look back (but there will be plenty of nostalgic moments anyway, I am sure). I may not be able to ward away the inevitable “Pomp and Circumstance,” but what I know I can do is make the most of my last months as an undergraduate student. In the next four months here’s what I hope to accomplish:

1. Say yes to everything. 

Late night drive to In-N-Out? Yes. Weekend trip to Vegas? Yes. Day trip to hike in Malibu? Yes. Going out on a random Monday night? Yes. I’m a planner by nature, but this semester I want to make an effort to be a little bit more spontaneous and try new things. So count me in for just about everything. Whether it’s going to a new place, or going with new people, there’s just no reason to say no when I know the real world means waking up before 10 a.m. on Fridays, and free time is much more limited.

2. Make progress on my L.A./California bucket list. 

Since I’m not sure if I’ll be staying in L.A. after graduation. I want to make the most of the next four (gasp) months that I definitely have left in this city. California has so much to offer from the great outdoors at Big Sur and Yosemite to some of the best restaurants in the country.  Although it might put a strain on my wallet, I’m determined to cross off some of the destinations, restaurants and neighborhoods that have been sitting on my bucket list for way too long.

3. Learn a lot.

I’m really excited about all of my classes this semester, but I also want to take advantage of everything else USC has to offer, from workshops at Annenberg to Visions and Voices events, I might not have some of these FREE (… well for the cost of tuition) resources at my disposal again in the future. My inner-nerd is definitely going to be out in full force this semester.

4. Stress less. 

It’s a little hard not to stress when I feel like I’m at such a defining time in my life, and everyone is making post-grad plans. Plus, constantly being asked what my post-grad plans are is a little daunting considering that at the moment I have more of a rough outline than a full-fledged plan. But I have a feeling that the world outside of college is going to be even more stressful, and in five years I’ll look back on this moment and wish I took one extra chill pill. So as I scroll through job postings and submit applications left and right, I’m going to try to not be so high strung about it. Even if I need a reminder every now and then, I know that (even if it doesn’t follow my ideal timeline) everything happens for a reason, and my post-grad life will eventually fall into place.

Emily Goldberg is a senior majoring in print and digital journalism. Her blog column, Diaries of a Second-Semester Senior, runs every Thursday.