For HS, it was tough leaving good bros to go to a college where I didn't know many people going in. But, more than that, it was very exciting to move away and start on that adventure and chart my own course.

College was relatively the sadder of the two. It felt like more of the end of an era, I left my sweet, loving college gf (who took it very hard), and I was heading into--or closer to--the real world where I couldn't just focus on scholarship. However, it still wasn't really sad on balance insofar as I had a cool job lined up, I had plenty of people to hang out with and thing doing to do, and I knew that I could travel and build a career and all that.

Contrast both of those--how bright the future looked--to today. The best I can say for opportunity now is that my kids have their future in front of them, and I may one day, years from now, be able to leave the rat race with enough money to keep living a comfortable umc life.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838143&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310907#49693893)

Graduating from high school was exciting because college was coming and more generally, the freedom of adulthood was coming. I could practically feel those handcuffs falling away. When I graduated from college, I was enthusiastic to move onto the next step but it was clear that something big was ending. As the next couple of years passed, I started to miss college a lot more.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838143&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310907#49693967)

HS was pretty sad though since my parents planned to move after graduation so I knew I'd likely never see most of them again

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838143&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310907#49693918)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838143&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310907#49693959)

We had class like 12 hours a week and the freedom to do whatever you wanted, intramural sports, write in the paper, sing in the school musical, whatever. Every Thurs - Saturday you would just hang out, get wasted, and try to hook up with each other.

Should've been incredibly obvious to everyone that the period of time after graduation was not going to be that good.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838143&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310907#49695541)