I am about a month and a half into my second year here at Syracuse University and I can happily say that I still do not regret my decision to come to this amazing place. Though each day is filled with its own set of struggles, from dealing with long studio hours to trying to balance work and friends to not wanting to eat any of the food in the dining hall, I am so thankful for where I am right now.

If you would have asked me what my biggest relief was at the end of my freshman year I would have said that I was happy, and that I now knew what I was doing, that I learned all the ins and outs of life, and was ready to be successful at this whole college thing. LOL. I definitely still don’t always have it all together and I still get lost on campus. If anything remains the same from freshman year to sophomore year it is this: you never stop learning.

Here are a few things that I have learned in the six weeks I’ve been back in the land of the Orange.

1. The dining hall food will never grow on you.

I like to tell myself that this year will be different and that I will want to eat all my meals in our dining halls but alas it is not meant to be. Brunch will forever be the only meal I enjoy.

2. FOMO is real and you have to learn to be alright with it.

Unlike last year at this time when I had no idea what was happening around me, now I know what is going on around campus and have options for what to do with my free time. That being said, sometimes you have to choose between one thing or another and it stinks because there will be this constant nagging feeling that you are missing out on the time of your life.

3. It is never too late to make more friends.

I thought I was set with my friend group at the end of last year and that all the people I hadn’t made friends with were a lost cause. FALSE. I’ve made some of my new best friends in the past couple of weeks who I didn’t really talk to at all my freshman year and I am loving life with them in it.

4. Class will not miraculously become easier.

I liked to think that most of my struggle with school came from the fact that I was transitioning from high school work to college work and that sophomore year would be better. Yes I will admit that I work faster and kinda know what I am doing but it still requires effort and drive to get that A (even in some of those classes that people tell you are “easy As”).

5. Four (Five) years is not enough.

I have the blessings (and sometimes curse) of being in a five year major. The thought of being done with one of those years makes me sad to think that it goes by so fast and this time called college will end so soon. Every day I get caught up in the hard moments and my mind races to thoughts of graduation but then I think about how much I will miss this place and it bring me back to the here and now and makes me appreciate what I have going for me.