Growing up and becoming a part of the adult world consists more and more of making important  decisions.  The first and probably most important of these decisions to make is figuring out if attending college is a good jumping-off point.  Making the crucial life decision to attend college may come off to some as a step in the direction of more boring school and limited free time.  Up to the point of high school graduation, you have been stuck in classrooms and routines for pretty much your entire life.  Who in their right mind would want to stay in such a predicament willingly?
A person’s desire to further his or her education through attending college does not define character as boring, dull, too-serious, or stuffy-it is one of the best chances to improve one’s intelligence, people skills, and maturity.  Textbooks, tests, papers, and presentations are great, but experiences at college teach students so much more than what is covered in the classroom.
One of the most important lessons college can teach a young adult experiencing the vastness of the real world for the first time is that variety is key.  Students would do well to learn that there are times to be serious and mature, yet there are also times when having fun and letting loose are more than acceptable.  Being serious and on-the-ball with what really matters in school and life, while important, does not have to be always, and being responsible for one’s priorities certainly does not make a person dull or boring.  In fact, students with their priorities in order and who are responsible for what’s important are often the most successful.  Maturity and personal responsibility are virtues and should be held with the highest regard.  
It takes one of these mature and responsible individuals to pass up an invitation to a night on the town to stay in and finish a final term paper.  They also pick up an extra shift at work for some needed money rather than going to the party, or spend a weekend at home with family rather than taking a road trip.  These are minimums, though.  It takes an even more mature individual to have the discipline to be responsible way before it is even required.  A responsibility professional  has the drive and discipline to begin that paper a week early to avoid the possibility of a desperate scramble the night before it is due.
This is not to say that having fun and throwing care to the wind is not okay, even beneficial or necessary, every once and a while.  Timing is key, here.  Knowing the difference between when it is cool to let loose and have fun and when to tighten up and take things seriously is what validates a person’s true maturity.  And don’t forget, sometimes even the important, responsible things can prove to be fun or enlightening.  Not everything in life is going to be fun, but there is no need to surrender to the monotony and give up every little indulgence to become the stereotypically boring and mature person everyone hates.
By all means, college students, you can still watch your cartoons on Saturday morning, eating your junk food and drive-thru meals, and even tackle the pictures in a coloring book once in a while.  If you’re going to forget your troubles of daily responsibilities every now and then, just remember to keep your limits in check.  Maturity and responsibility levels reflect our abilities to prioritize, so don’t let leisure get in the way of what’s most important for the future of you.