I have wanted to go to college since I was a little girl. While there are obviously people who do not have this same dream, typically, most people do aspire to go to college. When I say this milestone is something I have always wanted, I mean something a little different than just getting a degree (though that is definitely the most important aspect of going to school). When I thought of college, I thought of an experience; a sort of coming of age, if you will.   

I never had a solid idea of what the college experience would be like. I wanted a true large-scale university experience. I knew that I wanted to be a pre-med Biology major, that I wanted to join a Greek organization, and that I wanted to be a happy-go-lucky college gal with no worries other than which friend I would hang out with that day. According to everything I saw on Instagram, that is what life in college was like.

Needless to say, I had a skewed view of college life. I also had, in some aspects, a pretty accurate idea. Here I have put together some of the thoughts that frequented my mind from each month of the first semester of my collegiate career.

• It is finally here. *Proceeds to stuff my multitude of throw pillows in my car.*

• Recruitment week is emotionally taxing. There so many names and faces, some that will be forgotten, some I will hold dear to my heart. Though my thoughts on this process are far too vast to even put into words, I do eventually find my home by the end of the week!

• Classes have started, and I have one at 9:30. It is 9:15, and I still do not know where the building the class being held is located. *Frantically sends my mom a text* Ah, there it is. 

• Classes do not seem like they are going to be hard at all. I can totally do this!

• This campus is beautiful and full of people. I have visited here my whole life, but it feels like I am really experiencing this place for the first time. I have fallen back in love with this place. The campus almost feels as if it has its own heartbeat (not to be dramatic or anything.)  

• Though I like to think I have a lot of acquaintances, I am starting to see my “go-to” friend group form. I have never had this many people in my life to even have the opportunity to know. I graduated with less than forty people; my pledge class alone more than doubles that.

• The "school" part of school is not quite as easy as I thought it was going to be. 

  

• Now, the unthinkable has happened. I have a social event with my sorority the night before my first biology exam. I, of course, make the sensible decision to stuff my flash cards in my fanny pack and head to the swap. 

• Football is really fun…especially when your school’s team is number one in the nation. Campus is full of energy, cameras, and cool people (aka: Tim Tebow.)

• I would much rather do just about anything other than studying. 

• Have I really been here for two months? I am from a town less than an hour from campus, but I have not gone home very much. I did say I want the collegiate experience, right? I do, however, enjoy my trips home. Mostly, I enjoy my bed.

• Despite my tendency to be a grandma, I am finally figuring out this “going out” thing. Wait…there are only a few weekends left this semester, you say? Well, that figures. 

• I think I am starting my quarter-life crisis early. My whole life plan has been interrupted because I do not think I want to be a doctor anymore. Other than being inspired from a few seasons of Grey’s, I am not sure why I ever thought I did. 

• Not having an idea of what the future holds scares me. It’s a big world with many opportunities… I just have to figure it all out. *Cue the anxiety attack.*

•  Finding dates for date parties and semi-formals is seriously stressful. 

• So, the bulldogs might not be number one in the AP Polls anymore, but you better believe they are still number one in my heart. *Rushes to get a picture with Josh Robinson in the student union*  

• This month, I get to trade in my typical Chick-Fil-A for some turkey, which is good, because —dare I say it? —I think I might be getting tired of my usual Chick-n-Minis.

• Finals are going to quite possibly be the end of me. Why did I not study more at the beginning of the semester? It looks like I will have to plant myself in the library for the foreseeable future.
  

• Two all-nighters later, and I have made it out of finals alive.

• Did this semester really just fly by that quickly? I have done a lot of the things I thought I would, and I have yet to do so many. 

• When reflecting on my initial thoughts on college, I realize that life is still far from carefree or perfect, but it has still been the most fun I have ever had.

• As I am packing my things up to go home for Christmas, I can’t help but get excited thinking about the coming semester. If it is anything like the first semester, there are many self-realizations to be had, unknown joys to be found, and lessons to be learned.
  

I have given up on trying to guess what the future will be like, but one thing I imagined about this time in my life has held true: I love being a student at Mississippi State University and the college life in general! I have definitely learned a lot this semester, like the fact that college may not be about fun and friends all of the time, but if you do it right, it can be everything you ever imagined. Whether it was your first semester of college or your eighth, I hope it was just as memorable and enlightening as mine!