As a college student, I didn’t realize how much growing up needed to be done when I came to school. When you think of college, your first thought is "freedom!" The freedom to do whatever you want, without your parents standing behind you telling you what to do. If you decided that you wanted to get a tattoo or piercing one night, then you could do it, because you have that thought of freedom going on in your mind.

The first semester is always hard. Once you move into your dormitory and meet your roommate, you both go wild. You start decorating the room and planning out what you're going to do that semester. The decisions were: "Will I go kayaking today?" or "Should I drive to the mall and shop?" Those options were easy to decide because, during your first semester, you don’t really have any difficult decisions to make. You'll make so many friends during this semester that you probably won't keep during your last. The most difficult decision you had to make during this year was which friend you should hang out with. This is the semester when you begin to realize who you are because you have the freedom to do whatever you want.

After a few semesters go by, you’re now in your senior year. Everything you once thought was easy is now hard. Instead of thinking about kayaking or the mall, you’re now thinking about internships and career jobs. You’re no longer able to go out every night with your friends and socialize; now you’re working, volunteering and trying to pass your classes. The friends you made during your first year of college don’t understand why you don't have time to hang out with them anymore. You wake up in the morning, and the first thing you do is go to your classes. Shortly afterward, you try to eat a small meal before going to work an eight-hour shift. Once you get off work, you then have to stay up all night trying to complete your 10-page paper that's due the next morning.

No one said growing up was going to be easy, especially as a college student. Your parents no longer make the difficult decisions for you; you are the only person who can make them. The friends you had in the beginning probably won't be there in the end. You'll graduate with only a few of those friends by your side. It may not be easy, but in the end, it will be rewarding. Once you graduate with your degree, you'll have endless opportunities of what you want to do. Nothing comes easy, but as long as you are willing to put the hard work and determination in, you'll be just fine.