Dear Junior Year

Dear Junior Year,

I'm honestly baffled by fast you went by. It feels like only a little while ago you began, and now our time is over. There's definitely a love/hate relationship between us, but I can't deny that you taught me things that will stay with me forever.

I learned that school comes first. Partying four days a week is not going to help me get where I want to go. Yeah, I'm only in college once, but I have my entire life to go to parties and bars. How much longer do I have to live with my friends?

You also taught me that drunk college students are the worst, and to avoid them as much as you can. I no longer like to drink all the time, and that's ok. I don't like overly crowded bars with loud music, and I realized that I'm absolutely sick of the drunk rudeness that radiates off most people on a Friday night.

You taught me that it's ok to ask for help. You can't get to a better place if you don't realize there's a problem.

You definitely threw some curve balls at me. You taught me that you can work as hard as you can, and sometimes that's not even enough. You taught me about disappointment. You taught me true loss...and you taught me how to cope. Life happens, and the ones around you don't stop living when your own world freezes. Nor should they.

Most importantly of all, you gave me friends. Each year I discover new people, and that's honestly what I think makes college such an amazing time. You meet so many people, and you even meet a couple that will stay with you forever. I'm so blessed to have made the friends I have, and that's why I think my junior year was my favorite year of college so far.

Thank you.