Everyone tells us that starting college is like starting a new chapter in your life. They tell us to enter college with a new mindset, to leave the past behind, to just start fresh. Well, the problem is, I listened.

My first year of college was nothing like what I expected it to be. I learned more about myself within the first year than I have learned total in the 18 years before that. I created my own schedule, did my laundry whenever I pleased, and went out whenever I wanted to. Yet, knowing that I was entering school as a double major in Marketing and Business Administration, I focused more on my academics than anything else. I joined all clubs that strictly coincided with my majors and spent most of my days going to the gym and studying in the common room. I even refused to join any type of sorority because I thought it would take too much time away from my final goal. I had tunnel vision, all I saw at the end of the tunnel was good grades and acceptance to graduate school.

Each semester, my grades stayed high. I met amazing people I am very proud to call my friends and made time to visit my family every so often. With all great things, something was just not right, and that something was apparent to not only my family, but everyone I knew back home. I had changed when I left for college, in a way that I thought would be better for myself and honestly, I can't say it was.

For 16 years my world revolved around dance. Dance team in school, dance studio outside of school, weekend rehearsals more often than not, and competitions during most of my academic breaks. Every morning, especially throughout high school, I would wake up, go to school, stay for dance team practice, grab a bite from home, go directly to the studio, and get home by 9 pm to start my homework and any type of studying. I spent more time in my dance studio than I did in my own home. Yes, it took up a majority of my time, but it was also the reason behind my happiness.

Dance was my escape, my entertainment, my stress relief, and my definition of fun. Listening to music and choreographing movements that paralleled the mood set by the song was what always kept me sane. Dance took me to a happy place, it was the source of my positive character and my very own personal therapist.

Growing up, I was always reminded that dance would stop the moment I began college. It was never directly mentioned to me, but I've always heard side comments coming from people I thought were very well established. "Trust me, you won't have time for it" or "It won't be important once you enter the real world" is what I would always hear. It's not that I agreed, I just never questioned it.

This was the problem, this is what changed. The moment I grabbed my high school diploma and walked across the stage, my dance life was over. The abrupt parting I had with dance took a major toll on my character, a toll I couldn't see for myself until after my first year of college. I just wasn't the same person I use to be. The person I used to be was one I genuinely missed. Looking back at it all know, I coped with the fact that I didn't have dance 24/7 by distracting myself with what was "important", aka "my academics", but the truth in it all is that the most important thing should be your happiness.

Now, every chance I get, I stick myself into a dance class just so I could breathe again. So that I could return to my favorite place to do the thing that makes me feel like the same person I felt like my entire life. It is important to do what makes you happy, to not let go of absolutely everything from your past. If you love it, you can do it. If you love it, you can make the time for it. If you love it and it makes you happy, only positive things can come from a positive mindset. Drowning yourself in academics and focusing completely on what the future holds should not consume your life. Take the time to find yourself again, whether it's dance like it is for me, or sports, or any other type of hobby that characterizes you. My one wish for everyone, especially for those who are now beginning their college career, is to not think that everything from your past must be let go in order to be successful in your future. Keep the things that make you feel and be a better person, because at the end of the day we all function better with a positive mindset. The better state of mind you're in, the better you'll feel emotional. Two very important things that can guide us to success.