It's that time of year, when all of the kids in your hometown get their new school clothes and supplies, and for the rest of us who have graduated, when we head back to college. If it's your first time leaving the nest, this really is a crazy time of year. Whether you're going to community college, working, or attending university, it's a time of transition that everyone has an opinion about. From your best friends to your distant relatives, everyone seems to be the expert on what your experience is about to be like.

The reality is that everyone has an opinion because everyone is excited for you. But the experience is entirely your own, what you make of it, and making your own realizations and opinions about what this next chapter of life holds for you is important.

One of the biggest things that I heard when I was approaching graduation and leaving for college was everyone's excitement to not be known, recreate themselves maybe, and go live somewhere where nobody knew them. And believe me, that was intriguing and exciting for me too.

But once I got to college, I realized that it was going to be a bigger adjustment that I thought. Maybe not bigger, but it would be an adjustment in ways I didn't realize. Your entire routine changes, you're away from family, and you have to make friends with the people you're living with so that you can live peacefully. Not to say any of that is bad! Because it's an incredible adventure that has introduced me to who I am, how I like to live, and my best friends.

But there are times when it's not at all easy. When you're tired and hungry and it's cold so you don't want to go to the dining hall, and you have a paper to write, and maybe you had a disagreement with your roommate, and you missed your sibling's birthday, or you just wish for a while that you were home, comfortable, and with the people you're used to, not trying to figure it all out on your own, just for a few minutes.

I'm not saying I didn't love my freshman year- because you can ask anyone who knows me, I can't stop talking about how much I love my school and how great my year was. I cried when my plane took off and left my new city (yes, I'm a little overly-emotional). But in moving to college, you're also beginning the process of finding yourself as an adult and discovering what is important to you, what you want, and how you want to live and conduct yourself without the opinions and guidance of parents and all of the figures of your hometown. There are fewer or different expectations. Suddenly you're introducing yourself and getting to know people and it's different- who you are in high school might change when you head back to the comfort of your home after class each day because in the place you grew up you can let your guard down. In college, when class and activities end, you're back in the dorm with all of the new people you've met, and at times it feels like you have a guard up all the time or you aren't totally at home and at ease. That feeling is normal and totally okay, but it's something I didn't expect.

I guess what I'm getting at is this- everyone that I graduated high school with was so excited to recreate themselves and not be known by anyone. While I'm not the kind of person to reminisce about high school (those were weird, awkward, and not always fun years), I felt as though being known by my peers and having some faith that people knew my intentions, who I was, and what my aspirations were was comforting. Sometimes, in college, I sat in my dorm and yearned for someone to get me and understand me the way my hometown, high school friends, and family did.

However, there's another side to that, too- by the end of your freshman year, you find those people and that kind of familiarity. You find best friends who understand you and your heart, who see past the flaws you might like to leave in high school, and who make life so much more fun. The familiarity is something I missed so much about being home, and being understood is something that I longed for, but after a while, those characteristics of being in the place I grew up became traits of my new city and new life.

The adjustment is not an easy one, and leaving for college is a different experience for everyone. There are times when it isn't easy and you're not as happy as every student on the school website or brochure from your campus tour looked. But give it time- soon you'll truly begin finding yourself and where you're happiest, and it is the most incredible feeling.

Enjoy this year! :)