As of yesterday, I have been a college graduate for five months. The last five months simultaneously feel like ten minutes since graduation and an eternity since I called campus home. For me, post-grad life has been full of amazing opportunity, trying challenges and substantial growth as a person.

Lately, I’ve been back on campus for a few meetings and church every Sunday. When I leave campus and head back to my big girl life now, I can’t help but feel a little bit like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. This in turn has led me to contemplate what I miss and what I’m doing just fine without.

Three Things I Miss About Kansas (college):

1. Naps. Though I definitely had a bajillion more little activities and responsibilities in college, my schedule was much more flexible in the way of napping. Even if I snuck 10 minutes of shut-eye between two classes, or between my internship and a student org meeting, I still got a chance to rejuvenate throughout the day. Now, naps aren’t really an option. Though I’m sure it’s something I’ll get used to eventually, it’s definitely something I miss.

2. the RPAC. For you non-Buckeye folk, that’s the rec center/gym on campus. And basically my favorite place ever. Five months out of school, I still haven’t joined a gym and I feel strongly that it’s a result of being so spoiled as a student. With tons of machines, plenty of pool space for lap swimming, free weights galore AND amazing smoothies, there’s basically no gym anywhere that could top the RPAC. If you know of one that comes close, please point me in that direction…

3. Proximity. As a student, all my friends and roommates, my boyfriend, all my fellow PRSSA-er’s and AC kiddos, ALL lived basically within walking distance of me. Now many of my friends have ventured to other parts of the state or even the country, some are super busy with the next chapter in their lives, others are still in school – working hard to succeed, and so on. Gone are the days when we were all in it together, heading toward the same goal and leaning on each other in the process. Though deep down, I knew those days would end, I certainly find myself a little too sentimental about it all.

Three Things I Love About the Land of Oz (Big Girl Life):

1. New Goals. As an avid goal-setter and futuristic-planner, setting on the path to the next chapter has been a thrill for me. Starting a career and setting brand new goals has been invigorating. Now that I’ve taken the next step after college, the future seems so giant and vast and I’m excited to see and experience what it will continue to bring for years to come.

2. Weekends. Between homework, group projects, student org responsibilities and an internship that largely took place on the weekends, I rarely had a weekend to myself in college. Now, I never have homework or group projects and I get to decide what plans I’ll have on the weekend. I’ve been able to attend weddings, travel home to visit and see my siblings sporting events, etc. I’ve also been able to spend an entire Saturday in my pajamas laying on the couch watching romantic movies. Being able to count on Saturday and Sunday as MY time has been wonderful.

3. Fresh Perspective. Being on my own and working hard to sustain myself and be successful has been challenging, but it’s also given me amazing perspective and growth as a person. Professionally, I’ve already learned so many things about the PR industry at work and feel I’ve come a long way since graduation. Personally, I’ve learned to juggle everything it takes to live on one’s own – from bills to car maintenance to student loan payments to killing spiders all by myself. Looking back to who I was five months ago, I feel as though I’ve grown substantially as a person.

Well, I guess that’s it for my sentimental rant. Hugs and thanks go out to my boyfriend who I love and miss dearly, to my family who’ve been way more than supportive in this transition to big kid life and to all my college friends who I can’t wait to see again soon.