We are all here at Eastern to reach a common goal – to graduate.

In my past three years here I have spent most of my time being concerned with just that, graduating and finding a job.

I was only concentrated on the big picture, what I should be doing to prepare for graduation and how I will find the job of my ambitious dreams.

However, facing a summer in the so-called “real world” made me realize that I needed to make my vision of the future much more narrow.

When I got an internship at the Decatur Herald and Review for the summer, I was overjoyed at the prospect of running around the city getting exclusive interviews with convicted murderers and uncovering corruption in city government.

The reality of my real world job was a sharp contrast to my blurred perception of what my reporter’s lifestyle would be like.

My days mostly consisted of dreading my hour-long commute and writing briefs about road closings or going to ultra-humid county fairs.

I longed for the days when I could roll into The Daily Eastern News in my pajamas and have loud conversations with my fellow newsers while still getting some work done.

Working at a professional newspaper was not quite the same. Not only could I not wear pajamas, but I had to wear pantyhose and I longed to be able to chat with my co-workers during our down time about what is going on in our lives.

I suppose I was expecting more excitement, less strict

business.

I kept thinking to myself, “This is what the rest of my life is going to be like,” and then cringed at the prospect of getting up at 7 a.m. for the next 50 years.

Suddenly, being at Eastern did not seem like as much of a chore and being an independent journalist seemed less glamorous.

Sure, in college there are term papers to be written and the occasional, unfortunate 8 a.m. class, but there are also those experiences that are mostly exclusive to college.

While in college, students are exposed to a wealth of opportunities that seem to get narrower once we immerse ourselves in the professional world.

At Eastern, such activities as grocery shopping at midnight, and staying up all night just to hang out with friends are commonplace.

We forget how much simpler life is when you get to make our own schedule and when being carefree is not considered a luxury.

At my internship, my co-workers thought I was crazy for staying out until 3 a.m. when I had to work the next day, though for me it was just a part of my typical routine.

But that is college, sleep deprivation is a given and having fun is a priority.

With only one year remaining to my college career, I am relishing every moment of my newly-realized freedom.

Although the future still looms ahead, I can take my mind off of it long enough to appreciate the simple pleasures of college life.