Let’s be honest, nobody's ideal college experience is staying at home and going to a school less than fifteen minutes away. I hated the idea, but here I am living it. It was a whole lot cheaper and I didn’t have to deal with moving out, but as an 18 year old at the time I was more upset about the fact that all my friends were leaving and going to live the “freshmen experience” without me.

I’ve lived in the same town I’m in since I was three years old. By the 8th grade, my friends and I had vowed to leave as soon as we walked across the stage at graduation. Here I sit, though, at home while my friends drive hours away to their schools. They're making new friends and having the time of their lives.

As this school year draws to a close and finals quickly approach, I’ve learned a thing or two about humbling myself as I walk this journey I’ve been put into. The journey of attending a community college.

Community college is not Hell.

Despite the fact that some days it feels like it could be considered a close cousin, going to a community college is not horrible. In fact, it could be one of the greatest decisions you ever make. It’s usually cheaper than a 4-year school so that's a plus. You have smaller class sizes so the professor to student ratio is better. This is a definitely a good and bad situation, but I've grown to really like some of my professors. Despite popular belief, jobs won’t care where you got your associate's degree. They won’t even look at it. They’ll be more consumed with your bachelor’s, your qualifications. They’ll look at you as an individual, not the school you went too.

You won’t die if you miss out on the freshmen experience. One of my biggest complaints of this whole experience is that I’m missing out on the “being out on my own and free” thing. I was so ready to try things out for myself. I was looking forward to writing for a college newspaper, maybe joining a sorority and just getting involved in campus life. A lot of times though, as much as we think we’re ready for all of that, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. Just because you aren’t a freshmen doesn’t mean you can’t experience those same things. When I transfer, I can still choose to do all those things and more as a junior. It’s not just for freshmen only. Take advantage of what your school has to offer now. It may be small, but it has ways to get involved and it could lead to bigger and better opportunities.

Living at home is not torture. I got the chance to somewhat experience college life the summer before my senior year. After 6 weeks of staying on a college campus, I was sad to come back home. I wanted to go to college then and there.I loved dorm life. It was definitely interesting to say the least, and I learned I’m not a fan of community bathrooms. Living at home doesn’t mean you are still 16 and have to answer to your parents for everything. My parents recognize that I am an adult and let me live. It does have its advantages though, like home cooked meals whenever you want, your own room with your own bed, free laundry, and of course, your own bathroom. While I do wish sometimes I could come home to a roommate to talk to and hang out with. Staying at home and being able to binge watch Netflix without having to worry about keeping someone else up is not always a bad thing.

You can make new friends too. I was devastated the day all my friends left for college. For a while, my hatred of community college kept me from making friends. I really didn’t want too. I wanted to get in and get out as fast as possible. I didn’t want to get attached again just to have to say goodbye to more people later on down the road. It’s okay to make friends though. In fact, it’s very lonely if you don’t. For a long time, I felt very lonely. Some days I still do and most days, I miss my friends. I made new ones though. They don’t have to necessarily replace your best friends. It is always nice though to have someone to hang out with, rely on, and trust. Friendships are about quality, not quantity. It’s also more fun to have someone to skip class with you and get coffee.

There is life outside of two years. It may seem like a long time, but honestly my first semester has flown by. This time next year I’ll be graduating and moving on to the university I really want to attend. This community college thing is not permanent. What I’m trying to view it as is an opportunity to get myself out there. Be an adult on my own without actually being on my own. Just like testing the waters of a pool when I was a kid, slowly making my way in instead of jumping in head first. In reality, I’ve realized just how blessed I really am and I’m constantly reminded that life will go on. Just because you may feel trapped, I promise you aren’t. Look around you and find opportunities. I’ve found my own here and my future is starting to develop before my eyes. As long as you move forward, the time at your community college will too.

I’m not here to say that community college will be just like if you were at a 4-year university. I’m also not here to say there won’t be days when you absolutely hate it. There will always be days like those, maybe more than you care to admit. Try not to focus on where you are, focus on where you’re going. Community college is not the end of your life, it’s just the beginning.