Everyone says that freshman year of college is the best one of them all. All college songs talk about freshman. It’s the year that you meet the people down the hall from you who are also freshman because you live in an all-freshman dorm. It’s the year of sneaking onto the guys floors after visiting hours just to sit and watch them play video games. It’s the year of the 2 am drives with your new-found bestie. It’s the year of wanting to drop out of college because its 11 p.m. and you’d much rather be partying with your friends on a Thursday night but your mom might actually cut you off if you fail another exam, so instead you’re in the library, like a responsible freshman. It’s the year of fluctuating your weight because you have a healthy diet of Chickfila, iced coffee, 2 a.m. donuts, and anything free you can get your hands on. It’s the year of diving head first into every opportunity and then crying because you over booked yourself. So what happens when suddenly, its finals week of spring semester, and all the good times as the little freshman are coming to a close?

Today I had a moment on the drive home from my first final of the spring semester. It was a warm 78 degrees and my sunroof was open, blaring some 2000’s country (because I’m from TN and that’s what we do when it’s warm outside), and suddenly all the emotions hit me because at the end of this week I will be a sophomore. Eek. As I watch all the snapchat stories and read all the sappy Instagram posts of how the people and the campus and the blah blah blah changed people’s lives, I realize that it speaks truth, even if it makes me cringe. Freshman year of college is where you find your wings. You find new people every day to make you think about something differently. You find a new favorite restaurant and new favorite places to unwind, but most importantly, you begin to shape into who you are as an individual human, rather than just an offspring of your parents.

So yes indeed, freshman year is for all the things listed above, but really, it’s for the moments that change you. It’s for the people that walk into your life at the right time. It’s for the club or organization that has your heart that you’re not exactly sure you can walk away from when you graduate. It’s for the love you’ve gained for all the new best friends you’ve gained and the love they give right back to you. It’s for almost failing that class, but by miraculous powers (and some begging), you pull a C, because we all know C’s get degrees. It’s for the long nights and the half-finished papers and the not doing your laundry because you’re just too busy. It’s for the moments.

So soak in every last moment of being a freshman on campus while you can, because when the mini fridge is strapped in the backseat on the way home from moving out of the dorm, you’ll want all those memories to flood your mind to keep you company on the drive.