Dear Freshman Year,
Thank you. Thank you for being the best year of my life by far.
Before I came to college, I did not know what I was truly about to embark on in my life. I was just a scared 18-year-old girl, moving from Pennsylvania, unsure of what the future was going to hold. I began my college experience beginning in the summer and it was the best decision I could have ever made. Summer session lead me to get a real taste of what college was going to be like, while still having a good time enjoying my summer. It was my first taste of freedom and it was the best feeling in the world.
As fall semester rolled around I was so excited for what a real semester of college was like with everyone back at school. I already had my friends from summer session, knew the area, and already learned what it's like to be on your own. I joined a club on campus, experienced tailgates, late nights out, long days studying and there is nothing I would change about any part of my freshman year.
Not only was my freshman year one of the best years of my life, it was also the year with most change. I moved over 1,000 miles away from the home I lived in my whole life to come down to Florida and know no one. I made all new friends, learned to live in a completely new environment and city and also how to live on my own. I think one of the most important things college teaches you is life skills.
Yes, learning through textbooks and exams are important and a major part of college, but one thing people don't realize is so important is learning to live on your own. My freshman year I got to play around with my sense of freedom and independence, while also learning life lessons on how to live for yourself. I learned that it is okay to be alone even in a place that you are surrounded by thousands of people your age. I've learned that "You must fall in love with yourself before you can fall in love with anyone else," which I have grown so much as a person and on my journey to become a better person every day.
One of the most important things freshman year did for me was helping me explore myself. Over this past year I learned more about myself than I have ever known for the past 19 years. I learned my likes and dislikes, hobbies and what truly makes me happy in life.
Throughout freshman year I had my ups and downs, but those have helped shape me who I am right now. I learned things about myself through experience and trial and error. My freshman year was a year I never imagined it to be. This past year has been a journey but there is nothing I would change about my freshman year.
