Dear Freshman Year,

Thank you for kicking my ass and teaching me invaluable life lessons.

Going into my first year of college back in August (which seems like just last week) I wasn't sure what the upcoming year would bring me. Now that it's coming to an end in just a few short days, I've realized that this past year has been one of the biggest blessings in disguise. While I wasn't always appreciative of the opportunity that I've been given to attend a prestigious university and receive a higher education, I truly am grateful. So, Freshman Year, here are a couple things that I'm most thankful for.

Thank you for serving me a slice of humble pie.

At the start of the year, I thought I knew how to study and pass classes. I didn't think that I would need to change how I was back in high school, but boy was I wrong. College is no joke and the studying and hours that I now need to spend studying to get good grades weren't easy to accept. I've messed up along the way this year in thinking that I could get away with my old study habits, so thank you for humbling me and helping me realize that in order to be successful I need to adapt and be devoted to my studies.

Thank you for helping me realize who I should surround myself with.

Growing up I was always told that you should treat others how you want to be treated. I was taught to include everyone around me and that excluding people wasn't nice. Well, this past year I've learned that I should surround myself with people that lift me up and make me a better person. I want to fill my corner with people who will be there for me when I need them and when they need me I will be there for them. I've learned that sometimes, you have to exclude people and kick them out of your corner in order to keep growing as a person.

Thank you for teaching me that it's okay to ask for help.

Before this past year started, I had the naive mindset that I was invincible and that I could handle everything that was thrown my way. Well, yet again, I was wrong. Freshman Year, you've taught me that I can't do everything by myself and that asking for help is okay. I'm talking about asking for help from friends when you decide at 2 a.m. to move all of the furniture around in your dorm room to asking teachers to sit down in their office hours to re-explain the entire lecture from that day's class. No matter what the help is, I now know that it's okay to ask for a helping hand.

Thank you for teaching me to accept change.

When this past year began, I was confident in who I was, who I was dating, how I lived my life and where I was headed. Now as the year comes to an end, that has all changed. My confidence has been shaken more than once, but it's helped me become a stronger person. I've learned that relationships fall apart and people aren't always going to be there for you even if they say they will. I've learned that life is a rollercoaster and there are highs and lows, and everything around me is constantly changing.

I learned that embracing the change that's constantly happening is much more effective than trying to fight it. My life has changed tremendously in the past year and I'm grateful that it is. Embrace the change because everything happens for a reason and sometimes good things have to fall apart so that great things can come together.

Thank you for bringing wonderful new friends into my life.

While some friends were lost throughout the year, there were new ones that came into my life. The girls that I've meet this year have been some of the biggest blessings in my life thus far. When you live together with people in the dorms 24/7 it becomes your home and the girls that you spend your time with become your family. Leaving for summer break is bittersweet because the new best friends who I've spent the last year loving and spending most of my free time with are heading back to their hometowns, which is states away. Thank you, Freshman Year, for introducing me to the wonderful women that I now call my best friends and family.

So Freshman Year, even though you've dragged me through many sleepless nights, have made me cry a couple times, have made me question what I'm doing with my life and have made me frustrated on many occasions, I'm eternally grateful for all of the experiences, good and bad, that you've given me this past year. While there have been many lows, I've also created some of the best memories with new lifelong friends that will forever have a place in my heart. As I leave this first year experience that's called Freshman Year, I have no regrets, it's been a hell of a ride.