Just like that, the best four years of my life have come and gone. Through those four years, I have grown so much, learned so much about myself, and learned so much about life in general and I have only college to thank for that. So here's a list of five of the best things that college has taught me.

1. How to be independent.

When I turned sixteen and got my first car, I thought I had so much freedom. I thought I could roam free and do everything on my own. Wrong. I still had rules, curfews, and early nights because of school the next morning. Sure, high school allowed me some independence, but nothing compared to college. When I got to college, I was all on my own. I had to wake myself up, feed myself, make sure I got to class and practice on time, all of that... without my mom nagging me to do so. It was definitely a wake-up call, but I am so thankful for it. College taught me how to do things on my own and to never rely on other people to get things done.

2. To get organized.

I've always been a fairly organized individual. I have always kept planners and calendars (not that I used them as much as I should), but when I got to college, my planner was my best friend. Trying to balance five to six classes, two to three hour-long practices, long trips to games, sleep, oh and a social life can be very hard. My freshman year I was a procrastinator and I never seemed to have enough time in a day to do everything I needed to, but as college went on, I found a way to manage all of my activities and I even had some time to rest. So thanks college for teaching me how to organize, prioritize, and manage my time wisely.

3. Naps are essential.

As I said above, it was hard to manage everything I had going on and it was most definitely exhausting. A lot of times, I would be in the middle of studying or about to go to practice and I would take a quick power nap just give me that extra energy to carry on about my day. Naps were a must. Whether it was 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or three hours, naps were key to keeping me going and maintaining my sanity.

4. College friends are the best friends.

Sure, I still have friends from high school and even elementary school and yes we will probably still be friend’s years down the road, but there's just something different about college friends. We have shared so much together and they've been with me through it all... from breakups to all-nighters in the library to venting about who did this and who did that and even drunken nights puking in the bathroom (GROSS, I know... but we've all been there). College friends are together all the time and they come to know each other so well, maybe even a little too well. But for that I am thankful, thankful for friends that I can always count on, no matter where life takes us or how far apart we end up.

5. It's okay not to know what's next.

When I got to college, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life after college. I planned to go straight to PT school and become a physical therapist. Half way through my freshman year, I realized that I really hated biology classes (which was my major) and I thought how the heck am I supposed to go to PT school if I can barely survive my freshman biology classes. So, I decided to minor in biology instead and major in Sports Administration. That way I left the option of PT open, but I also allowed myself to see what was out there. Three years later, during my senior year, PT was totally out of the question. I decided I wanted to do something much different; I wanted to do Sports Marketing. With that said, I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I first came to college, but I didn't, and that's okay. I graduated a little over a week ago and the dreaded question continued to come, "So what are your plans now that you graduated?" Honestly I don't know. I know a general idea of what I want to do but nothing for sure and that is 100% okay. I'm positive that there is a plan for me and that everything will work out.