Absolutely nothing prepares you for college. There is not enough advice in the world to prepare you for this experience. Transitioning from small-town life to university life is rough- but I would not trade this time for anything in the world. It has simultaneously been the best and hardest experience I have ever faced.

You move into college with expectations of what life will be like. You imagine yourself making awesome friends, going out to bars, staying up all night studying for exams, missing your mom when you get the freshmen flu, eating really unhealthy processed snacks, and reveling in little happy moments of this newfound freedom. And while all of these things are true, whatever perfect portrait that you envision in your head is nothing like the reality that you will face.

You'll miss your mom when you're sick, but you will also miss your dog who became your best friend senior year because you got to come home from school three hours earlier than your little brother.

You will make so many incredible friends that have genuine hearts, but you will also meet vile people that defy every morally good behavior you have ever been taught.

You will go out to bars and be young and wild, but you will also find that you enjoy simple, quiet things more often, like just going to Sonic with your roommate at midnight.

You will stay up all night a time or two studying for that really difficult exam so that you can maintain a decent grade, but more often than not, you will go to bed and just hope for the best because your health is more important than your grades.

You will laugh without abandon and relish in the pure, unadulterated happiness that you finally get to feel because you are free, you are your own person, and you are finally beginning your own journey- but you will also cry at times.

You will feel more hopeless than ever before because life is scary. Growing up is terrifying. That moment when you finally realize that only you can be held accountable for your decisions in life will completely stop you in your tracks, and your breath will catch.

You will debate every choice that got you to this present moment in time, constantly wondering if it was the right thing to do. Nothing will be certain to you, but choosing to be happy with where you are and what you are doing will be the key to your success. You might constantly debate whether you are on the right path, but this does not matter as long as you resolve to be positive and to look for the light in every situation.

I have felt and experienced every one of these moments. I have learned more from moving away from home than anything or anyone in my hometown could have taught me. I am constantly growing and learning about myself and about the world around me.

Life is beautiful, but it is tough. Going to a university is an extraordinary experience, but it is equally arduous. I have no regrets for choosing to go to Ole Miss, and I write this with a bittersweet heart. Knowing that my freshmen year of college is halfway over makes me so sad, but I am thrilled for the happy moments to come. I look forward to all the new, wonderful experiences, the remarkable people, and I look forward to learning and growing as I continue to find my home here.