At the start of my freshman year at Montclair State University, I had no idea what to expect. While I did not predict the clichéd "first week of college depression" to affect me, it undoubtedly did. Everything was so different and although I was only half an hour away from home, I felt like I was on the other side of the world. Mere seconds after my parents left, I started to regret being at school and immediately wanted them to come pick me up. Nevertheless, as the school year started to progress I began to unwind and step out of my comfort zone; I met new people and began my journey towards making a proper college adjustment. I've made stupendous memories with unforgettable friends during my first year of college that I would never take for granted. Those first feelings of "college regret" were long gone and as the year came to fruition, I found myself feeling sad that I would have to take a four-month hiatus from school even if it meant summer break.

Montclair State University's campus is absolutely beautiful. The architectural design of the campus screams "California" even though you're still in suburban NJ. Beautiful flowers adorn the campus (most are the school's colors: red and white). The trees are decorated with Christmas lights, which makes late night walks through campus more spirited. And above that, the school's signature amphitheater is a really cool place to hangout and look at the night time sky.

Montclair State additionally provides their students with high-class dormitory facilities. Most residential halls on campus provide students with their own bathrooms and air conditioning, which is something not every college student may expect. And don't even get me started on Montclair's downtown. Weekend bus trips to Montclair center are always filled with mouthwatering food and maybe a new piercing. There's always something fun to do in downtown Montclair, so the more I go, the merrier.

Below I've composed 4 main reasons as to why I'm super excited to return to Montclair State this upcoming September for my sophomore year.

1. New Dorm Room

I absolutely loved my freshman year dorm room. I lived in Freeman Hall, and the size of my room was perfect; I had more than enough space for all of my belongings and I wasn't claustrophobic in any way, shape or form. The only downside to living there was that it was one of the only resident halls on campus without air conditioning, so the first few weeks of school were brutal.

This upcoming year, I'll be living in Blanton Hall and I couldn't be more excited. Like last year, my roommate and I will have our own bathroom that we share with suite-mates. The room this year is a tad bigger and it also has air conditioning. Not to mention that it also has a food court downstairs! I absolutely can't wait to get settled into my new room and garnish it the way I want. Organizing and designing my room is something I'm definitely looking forward to. Moreover, Blanton is more geographically beneficial than my previous dorm. Since it's in the dead-center of campus, it's closer to the gym and recreation center, which should give me zero reasons to be lazy this upcoming semester.

2. Syllabus/New Classes

Syllabus week is almost every college student's dream; a week where you have class, but little to no work at all because it's just a bunch of introductory lessons. I absolutely can't wait to see what this upcoming syllabus week has in store. I love having the opportunity to experience my professor and the class, firsthand, and then having a week to decide whether or not I want to continue on with it. I'm also happy that I have some of my friends in my classes which will hopefully make the level of difficulty/boredom a bit more bearable. Additionally, I am very eager to find out what each of my courses this upcoming semester entail. Since I currently have an undeclared major, after this semester, I'm practically done with all my general education requirement courses. This makes it easier for me to focus on my major courses in the future.

3. Downtown Montclair

Montclair, NJ has a beautiful downtown that I feel most MSU students don't frequently take advantage of. Visiting Montclair's town square is a remedy for anyone's dorm-room boredom. From exquisite restaurants like Cuban Pete's to cool little stores like Mystic Spirit (which sells incense, crystals and dream catchers), the town center almost has it all. They even have a bunch of cool tattoo parlors, where my friends got tattooed and I got my eyebrow pierced this past spring. I definitely can't wait to take the weekend bus with friends to explore downtown and make new memories.

4. Sense of Freedom

Ultimately, I'm just very excited to experience that newfound sense of freedom again. Summer has been great, but after a while it gets boring, especially when you're working two jobs 24/7. I'm excited to reunite with my friends and have the opportunity to meet even more new people throughout the year, as well. I'm excited to manage my time the way I want to and further develop my decision-making skills. Being able to dictate my own time and plan out my day according to what works best for me is one of my outright favorite things about college. Opposed to high school, it doesn't matter if you stay up past 2 on on a Monday night or go out on a Thursday night. The atmosphere is entirely different and it makes you feel all the more adult-like. I can't wait to have this feeling restored within me.

Montclair State University has quickly become my home away from home and I am currently counting down the days until I can finally embark on my, hopefully memorable, sophomore year journey.