I think the most challenging aspect of college is finding your place in the sea of thousands of others floating around, trying to do the same. I'm probably the most impatient person in the world, so the thought of being thrown into a completely different environment, one where I wouldn't know a single soul, and having to fend for myself brought so much unnecessary stress into my life. I was worried that every other person around me would be going into their freshman year knowing handfuls of other freshman and that I would feel left out or severely out of place. The weeks, days leading up to the first day of orientation were filled with a multitude of words of encouragement from close friends and family, explaining how genuine friendships in college wouldn't come until sophomore year, that it will take at least a semester for me to fully adjust and find time to open myself up to others. What they didn't know is that I find it extremely uncomfortable to be completely alone in any setting. I knew I would never even give this university a chance if I couldn't find comfort in other people right off the bat. Rather than this being a proactive thought, in reality it inhibited me from having an open mind to being vulnerable with others who have also been placed into the same situation. I believed that my life would be easier if I solely talked to my friends from home, that I would live out my first semester through my phone because only they would be able to understand me. But I knew I needed to promise myself that I would let go of all of my presumptions about making friends and finding my place in college, so I did. I found that being vulnerable and open to meeting other people is what brings out the genuine connections in others. Life is not about taking the easy route and sticking with what makes you comfortable; we’re all called to get uncomfortable.