Ending a school year is always bittersweet. You're excited for summer, but you're going to miss the friends you won't see for three months.

Looking back on my freshman year of college, I feel like I've really grown as a person. I think most people feel this way about their own experiences, too.

College is this mystical place that people dream about all through high school. Then, when you finally arrive, you realize it does almost seem like a fantasy.

I mean sure, some classes will suck and there will be aspects of it that aren't as great, but overall it's pretty freaking amazing. You live with your best friends, have total independence, and make memories that will last a lifetime. That's college as a whole; freshman year should have its own tribute because it's fantastic.

Freshman year is like the bread of a really great sandwich. It holds together everything that makes up the rest of your college years. The organizations you get involved with, the friends you make, and the experiences you have, all stay with you throughout your time in college.

I guess the most important aspect of your freshman year is deciding who you want to be. (The best answer to this question is to be yourself, but who is that exactly?)

I think many freshman come into college thinking it is a time to re-invent themselves or to figure out what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. There is nothing wrong with this, and that was the mindset I had when I arrived. What I've learned is that when you spend all of your time trying to plan or improve aspects of your life, you miss out on the parts of it that are already really great.

You have time to figure out your major or change it 50 times. You have time to figure out what your passions are, and how to make a career out of them. You have time now, and it is important to just enjoy the time you have here to make these decisions because you'll blink and it will be the spring semester of your senior year. Then that time will be gone.

College goes by so fast. This was made clear when my spring semester flew by in what felt like three weeks. So I'm going to tell you the cliché that every older person has told me, but I'm also going to remind myself of this from time to time. Just enjoy life as it comes at you. You can't plan everything (which is really difficult to swallow for a compulsive planner such as myself). I think if I live by this sage advice, I will get as much out of my four years here as possible.

As my first year in college comes to a close and I return home for the summer, I will be prepared to honestly answer the question, “How was your freshman year of college?"

I will be able to say with confidence that I picked the right college, my freshman year was awesome, and that I can't wait for the next three years. I hope you all can relate to those three statements, and if not, find a way to make those true for yourselves.

“Don't waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window, or break down a door." – Brooke Shields