The last four months have been some of the best months of my entire life.
I made new friends, lost old ones, and had amazing new experiences. Coming here was scary at first, but alongside that fear was excitement for everything to come. And even after the fear faded, the excitement didn’t. I felt it meeting my new roommate, walking to my first “real college party,” i felt it even as I cried for the first time over the stress. This excitement helped me push through the hard times and made the good times even better.
As this semester comes to a close I think back to all the things I’ve learned, both from the books and from life. I learned how to make new friends, and how to let go to the old ones. When you first leave for college everyone talks about how you and your old friends will talk all the time, share everything and not grow apart despite being so far apart physically. While there are some lucky ones who actually managed to keep these promises, the majority of us know that just isn’t possible. Going to college is filled with new experiences, meeting new people, with events happening constantly, especially in the first few weeks, so that planned constant communication doesn’t always work out. So, you grow apart. This doesn’t mean you don’t still love your old friends, but you also have to acknowledge that you all have your own lives now. Growing up sometimes means growing apart, and realizing that is a big step in becoming an adult.
Another thing I’ve learned this year is how to deal with stress. Everyone warns you how much harder college will be but it doesn’t really sink in until you’re there. Memorizing class schedules, navigating campus, staying involved, making friends, doing homework, and figuring out a way to pay for food can be a lot all at once. You try to manage it the way you did in high school but in such a different environment, there’s only so much you can do. So, you break down. It happens to just about every freshman. You have a moment where you aren’t sure anymore. Aren’t sure if this is right for you, aren’t sure if you can make it, aren’t sure if you’re happy. But if college teaches you anything, it’s how to pick yourself up when you fall, and how to ask for help when you need it. There is always an abundance of people you can lean on when it all becomes too much, whether you need guidance, counseling or just a shoulder to cry on. There is always someone there to help, but not to coddle you. They show you what to do, but you are still in charge of taking initiative and fixing what you can. This support helps us grow, helps us learn to stand on our own two feet and most of all helps us truly become adults, because no matter our legal age I doubt any 19 or 20 year old you ask will truly say they feel like an adult.
Even now as one of the hardest weeks of the year begins I still know that no matter what happens, I did my best, I learned, and I grew as a person. I am thankful for the experience I got from being at this school and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So, as I get ready to take tests over what I learned this semester that did come from the books, I can think back to these memories, of everything I’ve overcome, and be proud of where I am today.
