Finally, I have completed my first semester of college. The countless nights of late-night studying, early mornings, and endless papers finally paid off - one semester is officially down. Although I'm glad to be done, I can't help but reflect on how much I've learned and grown since my first official day on August 25th. Here are just 5 things on the list:

5. Studying in college takes a lot more time than in high school.

Now, I know that this has been mentioned more times than anyone is willing to hear, but it's something that cannot be stressed enough. In high school, many people often didn't need to study, myself included. But in college, if you choose not study (even if you do study for hours on end), the test is harder, somehow seems different, and it becomes quite easy to entirely fail. Grading is so different in college - students track their grades up to every last punctuation, every student, so don't feel alone. So be sure to study, even just a little, for every test; trust me on this.

4. Meeting people isn't as scary as I've always thought.

I'm an incredibly shy and introverted person, so when college was approaching, I was not excited about having to completely start over socially. Going to college with only one other graduate from my high school and knowing only my roommate, I was so worried that I would feel incredibly isolated from everything. It was the exact opposite for me. Being an elementary education major, a small group at my university, we have a "family" feel amongst us. Being such a small group, where we all know one another, has allowed us to build friendships that we otherwise may not have been able to. I quickly became friends with my fellow classmates, I joined lots of clubs and organizations and became involved. This has widened my network. I met some of my closest friends on my own floor, and made sure to spark some conversation, since I knew I would see them every day. It was easy to do. Now, we hang out in my room or our "common area" almost daily. Meeting new people is a lot easier than I thought.

3. It's hard to forget about your friends back home - and I couldn't be more grateful.

I love my friends from home, we've been together since elementary and middle school; these people mean the world to me. We've all been through so much together, but I was worried that in college we would quickly fall into a routine and slowly our conversations would dissipate. However, thanks to today's technology, talking to one another is so easy. We have access to video chatting, phone calls, and texting, and all right in the palm of our hand. We have a group chat that we speak on nearly every day. In the chat we plan for future get togethers and provide support for one another when college and life becomes stressful. I'm lucky to be growing up in this generation, and I'm lucky to be able to keep in touch with my friends so easily.

2. I am a lot more independent than I thought.

I've always been around my little family at home, so I thought going to college nearly three hours away would be extremely hard for me. However, I learned that I could do it. I was going to be okay. I learned how I study, I managed to keep myself on track with my meals and my health, I learned a laundry system that worked best for me, and I learned that I can be on my own and be okay. Although I knew beforehand that I could do it, actually living it and experiencing it solidified it for me.

1. The stress of finals can be, at times, too much to handle.

I had gone through the entire semester without feeling too homesick. I had days where I missed everyone and my cat, but they were not something that highly impacted my everyday thoughts. That all changed with finals. With Christmas (my family's favorite holiday) approaching fast, the impending math final that I studied more than 8 hours for, the other four finals that I had to take, and the fact that my roommate was about to transfer (so I may room with someone else) all hit me at once. I just wanted to be home and away from the stress. I wanted to be away from the sleepless nights and days where I went without eating much. I wanted to be surrounded by our decorations, and bask in the light of our Christmas tree as we drank hot cocoa and watched Christmas movies all day long. It took a toll on me, but I made it though. I didn't think it would be so hard, so that was a huge wake-up-call to me. Now, I know to be more prepared than I was this first semester.

I'm proud of myself and those I know who completed their first semester of college! We did it! I can't wait to see what more I learn about myself and school itself.

That's one semester down, and only 7 more to go!