As my first day of my freshman year of college approaches, it is hard not to see the differences between this day and the rest of the first day of school I have had for the past thirteen years. Gone are the days of taking pictures in brand new clothes in front of your childhood home. Now its taking pictures in front of a sign from your college. Gone are the days where you meet up with your friends before the first bell rings, trying to catch up on the summer or talk about some of the fun times you guys had throughout the summers. Now it's difficult goodbyes and awkward hellos as you introduce yourself to so many new people, just hoping something clicks with one of them and they are friendly back to you. Now instead of being worried about buying the coolest pencil case or a new lunch box, you are now more worried about having the best comforter and which roommate is going to bring the mini fridge.

Then after leaving your childhood home behind, and you finally reach your college destination, it is hard not to feel excited as a new chapter in life begins. Then move-in day begins, and you its hoe that the rest of college isn't a stressful as this time. As it is the first move in day for college freshman, you have no clue where all the buildings are (it took me half an hour of driving around campus to find mine) and a lot of stress of trying to unload things from the car, sign in and get your key, meet up with your roommate, and try and bring everything inside as quickly and in the least amount of trips as possible. I'm on the bottom floor of my building, I can't even imagine the extra stress lugging all of your belongings up flights of stairs or trying to get elevator room can bring. However, once everything is finally in and put away in the right spots, after your parents and you fight about which is the best spot in your room for every single item you brought, it finally starts to feel real as you see the items that used to be in your old bedroom in a completely new spot.

The first night is both nerve-racking and exciting as for the first time since kindergarten, or if you moved schools later on in education career, you know no students in the room. You can choose who you want to be, who to talk to, what to do! As my mom says, you can finally pick your friends on similar interests rather than growing up in the same neighborhood. It is so interesting to meet so many people that you never thought that you would meet, that end up being so similar to you.

As my first day of classes comes closer and closer, I worry as I'm sure most students do, how my classes will be. Are they that much harder than high school? Are the teachers nice? Will other students help me? No matter what happens with regarding this though, the freshman will make it through the first week of classes and beyond until graduation.

I can finally say that by finally coming to campus, I get the whole picture on what college is really like as I see kids excitedly get textbooks on their favorite classes and see old friends greet each other as they haven't seen each other in months. Besides, my roommate and I have already started calling our little dorm home.