The summer approaching my senior year I convinced myself that I would not have a boyfriend. And well we all know planning ahead sometimes doesn't exactly work out. Especially when I wasn't planning on meeting a charming fella at an ice cream shop. We met in September, started dating in October, and the other ten months are history. I was "blinded by love". I enjoyed every minute of every day we were together, don't get me wrong, I just knew I was missing out on something.

As a girl who had a boyfriend almost every year of high school, I did miss out on social opportunities. Being the shy girl I was, I didn't have many friends to begin with. As college was only a few months away, I began to think about all of the opportunity I would have to meet new people, and that made me excited. This excitement went on a tangent feel upset when I was around him. Upset to the point where he would ask if I was angry or irritated with him. All along it was my subconscious self telling me I needed to end the relationship.

I thought about all of the opportunity college has to offer, not only academically, but socially as well. If I chose to stay with the boy from the ice cream shop, I felt that I would've missed out on the amazing social experience that comes with attending college. I knew I would constantly wonder: Is he thinking about who I am with right now? Does he trust me? What is he going to think if I talk to this guy? Will he want to come visit me every week, four times a week? The questions went on and on, and I didn't want the answers.

Now a lot of girls may think: How do I end it? What do I say? What if I don't want to hurt him? Will we get back together? And yes, I was one of those girls. At eighteen, it was an extremely mature decision to make, for no one other than myself. I worried about how he would react, how I would react, or if he would ever talk to me again.

Ultimately, I did not want another person to cause me stress or anxiety when I will cause myself enough. New faces to meet, new places to see, new risks to take. I did not want anyone, other than myself, to influence the choices I make during my four years away. It is a time to start all over, a clean slate. I am one of three kids from my high school to choose my university. Now for some this may seem scary, but for me, it is another opportunity. Just keep in mind, you don't need more stress in your life. Trust me, I would not have made some of the friends I did my first week of college if I was still in a relationship. I chose to go into college with no strings attached, it is now time for me to make my own connections.