Growing up in America means that you started going to school when you were 5 or 6 at the latest, sometimes earlier. School is all we really know until we turn 18. We literally wake up, go to school, go home, go to bed and repeat the cycle until summer rolls around. Over the summer you have a blast until the next school year rolls around. This happens and we love or hate it. Then, finally, high school is finished. We automatically think we are almost done, but honestly, the journey has just begun.

There is something so special about attending college. Something that nothing else can compare to. I realize that some people don't go to college, so they are not able to experience this. Others just don't like the college they attended. But, for those who enjoyed the college they attended, it became home. That's what college was for me.

Trine University and all its wonders and flaws became the place I called home for four years. Although my time there has ended, a piece of my heart will remain. I have learned a huge variety of life skills and have achieved things greater than my diploma. I have found friends who act like family and had so much fun that nothing could compare.

Here are some practical ways to make your college experience even just a tiny bit better:

1. Get Involved

This is honestly the best advice I can give anyone. No matter what college you go to, big or small, this is the greatest way to make college better. Getting involved with different activities on campus will allow you to connect with people that have similar interests as you. At Trine, they offer many different sororities and fraternities that capture people's attention, but they are other organizations to get involved with also. Look into all of them and pick the best fit or pick multiple fits!

2. Go To Class

I never actually did this, but if you calculate how much just one class is at your college, it may motivate you to go more frequently. No matter how interesting or boring the class may be, it is always beneficial to go. It helps you gain respect from your professors and shows that you have self-discipline. Go to class, pay attention, learn something new, DO YOUR HOMEWORK, STUDY and don't forget that you are paying an arm and a leg for it.

3. Go To Student Activities

Honestly, even if you only go to student activities for the free stuff, it is a wonderful experience. Have school spirit. Cheer on your team with the rest of your student section. Go get a free t-shirt. The student activities director appreciates it if you just take time out of your day to visit their efforts. Go and be a fool. Hang out with friends. Have a good time.

4. Have Fellowship Time

Take a break! Take time to just hang out with your friends. Realize that living life with your friends is wonderful. Take time to make memories and capture them in pictures. Don't allow yourself to be overworked and over stressed constantly. You will be miserable. Fellowship is soooooo important and the best excuse to get out of homework (although your teachers probably won't like it).

5. Ask Questions

Don't be afraid to ask questions. It doesn't matter about what. Talk to people about the topics that interest you. These topics could be anything from school related, to party related, to religiously related. Ask them anyways. You will never know the answers if you don't ask, and like they always say, someone else probably has the same question also. We can't get through life without asking wiser people the questions we don't know the answer to.

6. Make A Family

Being away from home can be so difficult, and maybe I should've put this one farther up on the list. But, it helps if you make a new family, not to replace the old, but to help you when you feel down. These will be the people that stand next to you on your wedding day. The ones that pick you up when you fall and give you a shoulder to cry on. These are the people that will make you laugh until you have a new set of abs and are willing to do the craziest things with you. These people will matter, so find them!

7. Relax

This is a big one that people tend to forget. Relax. These four years DO NOT define you. They can change you and shape you. They can be great or horrible (hopefully, they are great). In the long run, they do not define who you are as a person. Whoever you want to be is who you will be. Find your identity is something greater than college. Don't stress about being the perfect person or getting the best grades. You are so much more than that.

8. Enjoy

Cherish these days. One day, they will come to an end. One day, you will have to leave the family I just told you to make, but it is so bittersweet. One day, you will graduate and start adulting (that's a word, right?) and it'll be a new adventure. For now, take it all in. Do the things you normally wouldn't (be smart though) and make memories that you can tell your future grandchildren. Don't sweat about meeting Mr. or Mrs. Right. Enjoy going to class and being annoyed of your professor. Enjoy the sleep you don't get. Choose homework, sleep, and friends when possible. Get out of your room and get to know the world that surrounds you. LOVE EVERY SECOND!

One day, you will have to miss these years, so make the absolute best of them. It's never too late to start making the most of college, so start today. You will love it. It will be some of the best years of your life.

Although there are many situations I wish I would have dealt with differently in college, the one that gets to me the most was waiting to enjoy college until the middle of my sophomore year. I wish I could go back and see how differently my social and personal life would have been if I would've have started enjoying it sooner.

I would go back to Trine University in a heart beat. Flaws and all. Just to love the next four years as much as I loved the last four years. On the bright side, here's to a new journey. Figuring out how to make the most of life all the time. Finding peace in where I currently am, and making memories that will last a lifetime.