College is an exciting time. It's a time of laughter. It's a time of tears. It's a time of stress. It's a time of showing our independence and letting ourselves shine for who we truly are. For some, it's a time of self-discovery, finding out more about ourselves as we venture into many unknowns, including our own personalities. During this time, you're going to be exposed to many things. Some are wonderful, others... not so much.

You may be on your own for the first time. Leaving home, and not always being around your family, can be hard. But if you give it time, you'll soon learn that your campus can be considered home as well.

You may have to work hard for the first time. College is not something to play with, and the workload can be heavy, but time management and just being responsible are simple remedies for this one.

You may experience love for the first time.

And you may cry and feel pain, maybe not for the first time, but if it's the first time in a long time, it certainly won't be the last. In college or in life.

Going out on your own and going through these things can really help define who you are, depending on how you deal with them and on from there. I'll just say four words:

Keep on keeping on.

It'll be hard, and sometimes will be harder than others, but if you can make it in between those hard times and get to enjoy the sweeter moments during this time.

And trust me, the sweeter moments are always worth it.