As a music buff, I thought it would be fitting to start this farewell article with a lyric from one of my favorite songs titled “The End” (by Misterwives):

“All good things come to an end/ To make room for new beginnings/ All good things come to an end, an end / But it’s not the end.”

It would be a lie if I said I can’t believe I reached the end of my college journey. In fact, I can believe it because I’ve truly lived and deeply felt each moment in my journey. So naturally, an ending feels… right.

On Lewis Howes’ podcast “The School of Greatness,” he asks each guest this question at the end of each episode: What are your truths?

He prefaces this question with the scenario that when you die, everything that you’ve created and put out in the world has to go with you (i.e. books you’ve written, podcasts you’ve recorded, videos you’ve shared), but you can leave three things to the world you know to be true.

Well, to put a spin on this, I’m going to share the three things I know to be true about college:

1. College is what you make of it

It would’ve been so easy to coast through my time in college, but I found that the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself at a university is to explore, be open and be proactive.

When you enroll and get accepted into a college, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have a good time. Instead, you have to have agency over your experience, create memories and find opportunities.

At the end of the day, colleges are just collections of buildings, professors and resources. It’s up to you to take advantage of them.

2. Don’t convince yourself that these are the best four years of your life

Although college can be a good four years in your life, don’t convince yourself that they’re going to be, are or were the best.

As a soon-to-be graduate, I can say that I enjoyed my college experience. I made memories I will cherish, I grew mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and I’ve gained skills that I’ll carry with me beyond the institution. However, even though I had an unforgettable time as a student, I know there’s so much more in the world for me. It’d be erroneous of me to say I’ve already lived my best four years.

In nature, when things grow and evolve, they get better. And I believe this is the case for us as people and our life experience — we should continuously get better, stronger and, ultimately, more joyful as we learn, grow and evolve.

So, don’t be that person who peaks in college.

3. Create a lifestyle, not a career

A wise Uber driver once told me to focus on creating a lifestyle, not a career because the lifestyle is what you’ll have left over when you’re clocked out of work for the day.

The main reason I like this simple piece of advice is because it breaks the pressure to center your life around achievement and, instead, shifts the focus to a more holistic way to live and think.

Creating a career is important. However, I do strongly believe that spending equal — if not, more — time building a lifestyle that nourishes you is essential.

A lifestyle is going to sustain you through the chaotic journey you’re going to have as you try to build and establish a career. So, if you’re just now entering college or you’ve been a student for some time (or even if you’re graduating soon), spend time building and creating a lifestyle you love.

Sadly, these are the final words I will be writing for The Daily Aztec. I hope that these three truths help incoming, current or soon-to-be graduate students.

Like many other students, college plays a big role in our life, which means that when it ends, a void will occur. But the way I see it, this void is a good thing.

This void is making room for so many new beginnings.

To follow my post-grad journey, visit aaliyahinspired.com.