Big changes typically cause some discomfort, no matter what the change is. This was something I was expecting but also something I was hoping to avoid when starting my freshman year.

Now my freshman year is coming to an end for me, and with it could be the Miami University chapter of my life. When I first decided on Miami, I was so excited and "prepared" to attend an out-of-state university. Now… not so much. I've really found myself struggling with adjusting up here and am missing home more than ever.

Every time I call home, however, my parents keep encouraging me to "get out there and do something" and to "go make some friends." Both of these phrases are very good pieces of advice that I should have been taking from day one, but for some reason I thought hiding in my room was a much better option.

Throughout the first semester, I had only made two friends who happened to be roommates that lived on the completely opposite side of campus from me. Despite the fact that these two friends were great, I found that as soon as I got home over J-term that I wanted to go back home to Texas and continue my education there. I was so sure coming back to finish out my freshman year at Miami that I would not want to stay at all. I applied for schools near home and decided to go for it.

Then, something happened this past semester. In one of my classes, we had to say our favorite TV series because our professor wanted some recommendations, and of course, I said "'Criminal Minds' and 'White Collar,'" but surprisingly so did the girl next to me. The fact that I made a friend over TV shows was crazy to me, as I had been struggling to even talk to people at this point. A couple of weeks later I met her roommate and we became friends as well, and now we all have a Google Doc for junior year houses.

It's crazy to me what small things can do to change the plans you've made for your future. Even when you're positive about something, you don't know if that's how you'll feel a few months from then, and incidentally, I don't feel the same about it anymore. I will still be completing the admissions process for those schools back home, but I honestly don't think that I'll be leaving Miami University for another three years at the least.