Someone once told me I'm an "Adult in Training" and ever since, I've found it to be the best way to describe college students. There are two stages of leaving the nest in my mind. High school and College. In High School, we're slowly making that first move into adulthood going from a teenager to a legal adult at the age of 18. The second stage is college, when we gain much more freedom and start to experience life a little more without mom and dad by our side. College is our time to be "Adults in Training."

Some of us move away from home to go to college and while it's a scary feeling, it's also an exciting feeling. Moving away from mom and dad to be on your own without rules is fun, don't get me wrong! But, it's also a huge responsibility. You're responsible for feeding yourself, doing your own laundry, waking up on time, and just being on your own in general. While it doesn't sound like a big change, don't underestimate it, because it is. College doesn't "baby" you like High School does, and with mom and dad not there, it's a big handful of responsibility. Do it right and I promise you'll have the time of your life. Don't take your freedom for granted, because as easily as it was given, it can be taken away.

College is also a time when most of us start to actually date. Some people started to date in high school, which is great! But a lot of people really start to date in college. Instead of going to the mall food court, you sit down at a restaurant and get to know someone you know nothing about. Or a high school friendship that grows into something more serious. Everyone knows the basics of dating, but with each date and every person, you learn more and more about not just dating, but about yourself, too. What do you look for in a person? Long term or short term? Driven? Outgoing? Do you look for someone more adventurous or someone more low-key? Are you scared of commitment or open to it? Are you dependent or independent? These are just some of the things I learned in my college experience of dating and I'm still learning. But I definitely learned a lot more about dating in college than I did in high school. College is a great time and way to meet people, so don't let that opportunity fly by. Go on dates, have fun, get to know someone, do it for the experience even if it doesn't work out. You never know, you may be surprised at what you learn along the way...

"Adult in Training" really comes into play in college when learning to work in the adult world. Sure, we may have lame part time jobs, but it's preparing us for the future. Those part time jobs teach us about being on time, working with others, and so much more. In addition, internships are also a great way to experiment with the adult world. Some internships are paid, some are not, but that's not the point. The point is we're in college and at some point in your college experience, it's time to start considering your future. So go out and take an internship, build your resume skills, build your interview skills, learn about different things, just be open minded! If you happen to love an internship, that's great! But even if you hate it, it's not for a long period of time and it looks good on your resume. So just take that chance. Better to take that chance and gain something, rather than not take it all and gain nothing.

The best part about college though is the significant difference you'll see in judgments and cliques. In college the only time someone judges you is if you remind a professor that we had an assignment due. But other than that, everyone is way more mature and open minded. No one in college cares if you're "popular" or not. There are no "jocks" and "nerds", everyone is friends with everyone. And no one has to be afraid of being themselves. If you're gay that's ok. If you come from a broken background, we don't judge. If you practice a different religion, go for it! While obviously there are some exceptions, most college student are the same in this sense. As long as you're a fun and good hearted person, we're accepting of whatever you are, whatever you practice, and whatever your background is. If I had met most of the friends I have now back when I was in high school, I promise I most likely wouldn't be friends with them. College has allowed me to leave my "loser" status behind and start fresh; and I'm glad because I have some of the greatest friends the world has to offer. I can't speak for everyone, but that's what I've noticed on my own campus and even while visiting friend's campuses. It doesn't matter the type of person you were in high school, it matters the type of person you are now.

So as we grow older and get ready to "leave the nest," college is our time to be an "Adult in Training." We 're not quite responsible for full time jobs and bills yet, but we can also be a kid and have fun. This is our time. Don't let it pass you by, we're only an "Adult in Training" for a little bit before we actually graduate to adulthood. Most importantly, no matter how much older we get, don't forget to thank mom and dad for helping us along the way!