Freshman year was a year to remember. New challenges, new adventures, and new friendships made my first year of college one of the best times of my life. That year helped me grow into the person I am today.
Freshman year wasn’t perfect. It had a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t have loved my first year without my amazing and wonderful friends. Between taking trips to New York during Christmas to waking up at 4am and driving to the beach to watch the sunrise, we had a blast. That year set up traditions for the rest of my college experience and it formed a bond that wouldn’t be broken. We helped each other through the good and the bad. They were there through every heartbreak, every break down, and every triumph. I would usually laugh at a person who said that they love a friend they have just met, but that was until I met my college friends. It was as if we just understood each other. We all came from different backgrounds but we still found common ground within each other. I can never thank my friends enough and though some of those friends from that first year are no longer in my life, they are still in my heart. They still taught me something about myself. Someone told me that the friends you make freshman year are not necessarily the friends you will have once you graduate and there is some truth in that, but those friends that come for one year and leave for the next are there for some reason. I know that much to be true.
Besides friendships, I found myself learning about me. As I said, freshman year wasn’t all parties and Jell-O shots. I went through some major changes that shaped who I am and how I look at things. First, I realized what I deserved in friendships. I realized that I deserved people who would stand by me no matter what, so I had to let go of friends that I once loved, but weren’t right for me anymore. I also lost someone close to me in a very tragic way. I had to come to terms with that loss and sometimes how I dealt with it wasn’t in the healthiest of ways. I had to come to grips that this happened and I had to learn to lean on others for support; despite how hard that is for me.
That first year was also a time to grow up. This was when I realized I was no longer a kid, but a young woman coming into her own. I didn’t have someone hovering over me to go to class and do my work or to make the right decisions; that was all on me. I understood that this was the time to get my life in order (something that is hard for anyone at any age) but it was also the time to make some mistakes and try not to grow up too fast.
In the end, freshman year was challenging and life changing. It was everything and nothing that I expected. I will never forget that amazing year and the wonderful memories I made.
