Every senior you’ve run into lately is probably telling you how they’re so ready to graduate, to leave ACU and be free.

Well, not me. I don’t wanna grow up.

Growing up means graduating. Graduating means the real world. The real world means no more nap breaks, no more late-night Rosa’s runs with friends and no more random excuses to make a tutu for almost every occasion.

In college, if you stayed up until 2 a.m. the night before, either being productive and finishing homework or just drooling over Nate Archibald in Gossip Girl on Netflix, it’s widely accepted to wear sweats and dress like a slob.

You’re also allowed to slack on all assignments and lazily shuffle through the day with mumbled words, “Late night” hanging on your lips if anyone questions your lackadaisical attitude.

This won’t fly in the real world. You still have to dress appropriately, do your work and act like a human being instead of a zombie, no matter how tired you are.

People can argue all they want with their claims of “Our life begins after college,” or “We’ll get a chance to work toward our dreams.” Sure, this is all true, but I’m not ready for that yet.

The reason is because of the unspoken reality that lingers in the mind of every senior. This year means saying goodbye to friends you never imagined you’d part with.

It means saying goodbye to those late night chats when you should be studying. It means saying goodbye to driving in circles around campus with the windows down just so you can blast Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off repeatedly. And mostly, it’s saying goodbye to the ACU community that, if you let yourself admit, you’re going to miss.

So seniors, don’t let all this mushy writing get you down. Instead, do just the opposite.

Be obnoxious, wear giant hair bows or Spider-man sweatpants, stay up until 3 a.m. just being stupid. And if anyone tells you to grow up, tell them it can wait for one more year.