The Best Four Years of Your Life
November 3rd, 2024
Writer: Catherine Williams
Editor: Julia Carroll
It’s safe to say that many of us encountered a non-traditional high school experience in some way; Zoom classes, canceled proms, and make-shift, drive-by graduations being a few of the various Covid-19 delicacies. My sophomore year of high school was cut short, followed by a hybrid Junior year and a masked senior fall. My parents, doing their best to provide some solace in the unfortunate situation, would remind me that the best was yet to come— college.
Growing up, my relatives, abundantly proud of their alma mater, would reminisce and tell stories of their golden years. I can vividly imagine my uncle’s melancholic voice, “The things I would do to go back.” They’d tell me how lucky I was, having the experience of a lifetime just around the corner. My newly graduated cousins would gush about the good old days; ‘darties’, football games, and two-for-one shooters. They’d always describe it as “the best four years of your life.” When choosing a college, I was set on finding balance; a way in which I could reap the benefits of a stellar education while simultaneously achieving that quintessential, fun “college experience.”
Virginia was a no-brainer; a place widely known for its prestige as well as its work-hard, play-hard student body. After months spent cooped up in my suburban home, I got jitters at the thought of leaving my east-coast town for a place like Charlottesville, Virginia. Needless to say, I had a wonderful high school experience. However, like so many teenagers in this day and age, I often ran myself into the ground, attributing my success in academics, extracurriculars, and standardized testing to the happiness I’d soon achieve once I received a letter of acceptance. I felt I had done it all in high school—I was captain of the varsity crew team, achieved a near-perfect GPA, and filled my weekends with volunteering & working, all while maintaining my picture-perfect relationship and spending time with my beloved friend group. I had always believed that the intensity of my high school years had prepared me for anything college could throw my way, so it was a shock to the system when the lifestyle I had once considered overwhelming paled in comparison to the pressure I now faced. I thought I had done my due diligence, confident that I could once again create the ideal Venn diagram of academics, wellness, and a social life. But within just three weeks of moving into the dorms, I realized that this perfect balance was not only unattainable, but it was nothing short of a myth. The demands of college life introduced an entirely new kind of challenge, one I hadn’t anticipated, despite all the preparation I thought I’d done.
The pressure I began placing on myself had little to do with the innate desire to achieve all A’s, join an abundance of clubs, or acquire the internship that would set me up for my career. Rather, it was the imminent fear that I wasn’t living my life to the fullest, not making these years “the best four years of my life.”
Saturday nights came along and I was constantly left with a sense of premature anxiety. For some, the fear of post-grad brings tremendous anxiety, producing the existential dread of the unknown. However, my unease lay far beyond the uncertainty of my career or location..My panic stems from the possibility of regret and the potential for echoing refrains of 'I wish' or 'I should have.’
As I continue to navigate my college experience, it’s becoming clear that this oft-repeated mantra of 'the best four years' may be less about reality and more about how we conceptualize and justify the fleeting blissfulness of youth. It's a cultural shorthand— a way to romanticize the freedom, excitement, and potential we attribute to this phase of life. In labeling these years as 'the best,' we tend to overlook the inevitable challenges, pressures, and imperfections, choosing instead to preserve an idealized version of this time for the sake of nostalgia.
The truth I have come to realize is that there is no one right way to live these years to the fullest. It’s not about cramming in every experience or striving to meet the ideal of 'the best four years,' but rather finding joy in the small, unexpected moments that define us. Perhaps, rather than striving to validate this ideal, we should embrace the uncertainty and complexity that come with these years. Their true value lies not in their perfection, but in their ability to shape us, challenge our understanding of ourselves, our purpose, and prepare us for the life that follows.
