It's my sophomore year of college and in reflecting on my life as a freshman, what really stood out to me was not how focused I was, but the way some people made me feel because of it. Unless I really get to know you, I'm typically a shy person. I always dreamed of being one of those outgoing people who could just walk up to someone and become instant friends, but that's just not the type of person I am. So, most of my freshman year was spent in class, at work and in my room. Now that may sound "sad" or "pathetic" to some, but looking back, it was the best decision for me.

I was having a reasonably rough time my first year of college; it was the longest I had ever been away from home, the weather and the people were so different than what I was accustomed to and I just felt completely out of place. This way, I did everything I needed to get done, but still found some sort of solace with myself at the end of the day. It was after a few months into the first semester when I decided I couldn't be like that all the time.

So, I made myself go out with my suite mates even when I just felt like staying in and watching Netflix. I went to a few parties (I didn't enjoy most of them), and I just tried to make myself a little more sociable than I had the motivation to be. I did all that for a time, but most of it didn't make me happy. So, you know what I did, I just stopped doing it. In the process, I found some things that made me happy, like hanging out with my suite mates and having late night conversations, but I learned that it was okay to return to some of my old habits, like focusing my time on projects and having some alone time.

Of course, in not going out as often, I was sometimes the butt of someone's joke about what not to be in college. But I knew this behavior made me, as dramatic as it sounds, get through every day and that made it so much easier to block out those comments (even though it sometimes did get to me).

It's okay to be the college student who everyone tries their hardest not to be. It's okay to be boring sometimes if that's what helps you get up every morning and go to bed every night feeling content with your life and the decisions you've made. I definitely do agree that college is a time to explore the world around you and discover new things about yourself, and it is important to place yourself in situations that may make you uncomfortable at times, but the only person you'll answer to at the end of the day is you, and it's important to immerse yourself in activities you enjoy.

So if that means you're the "lame college student," wear that title with pride, because you've found the key to your happiness while everyone around you is still searching for theirs.