Dear Freshman Year,
As I sit in my freshly packed up dorm room, I begin to reflect on all the events of this year. This entire year has been an adventure with many ups and downs, but in all honesty, I wouldn't change a thing.
The first year without my family has been scary to say the least, but I am so lucky to have found a second family at school. College is the first place I didn't have to try very hard to make friends. People like me for who I am. I'm friends with people because I actually like them, not because I saw them every day.
In my first year of college, I have already been pushed further than I ever have been before. I've had professors push me past my breaking point, but because of them, I am better. I am succeeding every day because I have professors go out of their way to challenge me and make me better. This year has taught me to take any challenge I may face and make the best of it.
The biggest struggle in the transition from high school to college is realizing that I'm going to make C's...and that is OK. In high school, I only made A's. When I made a C in my first semester, I thought it was the end of the world. But here's the thing.. it wasn't. I'm still here. My GPA is still solid. One bad grade isn't going to ruin your college career.
While high school teaches you nothing about the real world and adult-ing, your first year of college will break you in quick. My first experience with adult-ing was getting a migraine that caused me to have to go to the doctor, and eventually the hospital, alone. My friends and boyfriend went with me, but it's not the same. Being handed a clipboard of paperwork that you don't know what to do with is quite nerve-racking. Eventually you learn the process and you somehow develop this knowledge you didn't know you had.
Even though I spent much of my freshman year in tears over homework I didn't understand or stressful situations I couldn't control, I can easily say that this year has been one of the best years of my life. No matter how stressed I was, college is still better than high school ever was.
Thank you, freshman year, for all the lessons you've taught me. It's been nice knowing you.
