Coming to college can be a basket full of emotions. Some are super excited, others are terrified, or even both. Everyone is trying to find they're own place and figure out where they fit in. The super cool thing about college whether its a college in your hometown or five hours away, is that you can be anyone you want. You can completely rebrand yourself, start over, and find the real you if you want to. I know when I started to get settled into college, I became completely myself in everyway. I may not have been the same girl I was in high school, but that's okay.
I learned so much about myself in just one super fast freshman year alone. While in the process of my "rebranding" though, I learned that no one cares in college what you wear or if your nails are done. College really helped me embrace waking up and living for myself and accomplishing my goals everyday. I learned not compare myself to anyone because there is only one me in this world and I wanna be living my best life not someone else's.
I didn't throw just throw out the old me and replace myself with this entire new person. I still carry my same values and hobbies, but I enhanced my involvement with them instead. For instance, I love painting, but I was never in any art classes in school or anything. Now, I am in charge of painting banners for my sorority. I also loved dancing in high school, specifically tap, and when I graduated I thought I wasn't good enough to continue in college. Now, I am the Vice President of our tap team here at UGA. So while I was outgoing in high school, I branched out even more in college.
So if you're going off to college or if you're already in college or whatever, the best piece of advice I could give you is to be yourself everyday. Live for you and what you want, not for anyone else and their desires. I know it's hard sometimes to do that, and even harder to stop comparing yourself to others (trust me, I still struggle with this one). I found myself to be so much happier and content with life when I focused on what I wanted to see in myself, rather than trying to please everyone else in the world.
The world is too big to please everyone, and honestly life is too short to try. So while you're in college just be yourself, find your niche, your clique, your girl gang, study group, coffee buddies, ice cream dates, whoever adds to your own joy and how you like to be living. It'll be worth it in the end if you just do you.
