So first, we came. The biggest step to be proud of is the fact that we all actually showed up to college. That was already a major accomplishment that many people cannot even do, especially those that chose out of state schools, so definitely give yourself a pat on the back! For many people, the first couple of weeks of college did not go as planned, or you were the complete opposite and the beginning of the year is when you had the best times you've had all semester. Either way, hopefully as you eased your way into the semester, you found a couple of people to call your friends and began getting comfortable in your new college skin.

Now on to the suffering.

The most important thing to remember is that everyone deals with their issues differently, so just because it seems like other people are having a great time, that is not always the case. I have personally seen it happen with a couple of my new friends. They seemed as if they had clicked with almost everyone, had a ton of friends and really enjoyed going to school. But as we all know looks can be deceiving, which I noticed when I learned that two girls who seemed to have it all decided that they would be transferring after the first semester. Of course, I was sad and understood, but I also thought to myself that maybe they weren't happy after all. Of course, as a college freshman, I can relate to sometimes deciding that after a bad day or disagreements with friends that maybe I would be happier at home. The thing we all have to understand that it has only been one semester and even if it hasn't gone as perfectly as we imagined, we have so much time left and there are ample opportunities to make this wonderful experience even better!

Next is the conquering, which won't be easy, but you've already conquered your first semester of college. All of those all-nighters you pulled, the friendships you made and the fact that you put yourself out there as a vulnerable freshman is something to be very proud of. You can now look forward and use the experiences that you've had already to make your second semester even better. If you lost friends, there are literally thousands of other people, and I promise you will find your squad. Your grades weren't as good as you wanted? It is freshman year and you are expected to make mistakes. The best advice I received this semester was that you're going to fail again. It sounds brutal, but we have to understand failure happens, but you can only improve from there.Make a couple of goals that you want for next semester and push yourself to do as many as possible, but most of all enjoy this experience. This is our first and last freshman year iso make the most of it, learn from the lows and embrace the highs.