I am smart, I am strong, I am happy, I am me.
That’s how college changed me; it pushed me to the limits, it caused me pure exhaustion and stress, it gave me many lonely days, it made me question my actions, decisions, dreams, and wants, it changed me.
I used to deny that college changed me; I didn’t want to believe it, because I thought it was a bad thing. I used to say “I won’t be the girl who changes because I went to college.” But I am that girl, and I am happy to be her. The girl I was before I went to college was a people-pleaser, a crowd follower, a girl who was uncomfortable in her own skin, a girl who was terrified to be alone, and a girl who had a lot to say but was always too afraid to say it. But because of college, that girl is different, that girl is me.
College gave me opportunities to fail and try again, opportunities to be alone and to learn to love myself, opportunities to grow, to learn, to write, to find myself, to be more open to new experiences, to meet new people, to lose some people, to change.
As a senior, I can honestly say college did not go the way I expected it to. No, not every night was a party, but you will have many weekends of dancing and drinking. Not everyone you meet will stay friends with you after they graduate, but you will meet many amazing and interesting people. You will not always pass every class, but I promise the second time around is a bit easier. You will hit some bumps along the way, you will lie on the bathroom floor drunk and questioning your decisions, you will laugh until your stomach hurts, you will cram for too many exams, you will be so broke and still somehow always manage to find beer money, you will make really bad decisions, you will change, and I hope you do, because it is absolutely okay to do so.
When I graduate, I will walk down and receive a diploma, but I will walk away with so much more. I will miss the good times, I will reminisce by telling all the crazy stories, I will visit too often, I will still not drink that one drink that got me super sick, and I will be happy I changed, because I somehow found myself in all the chaos of college, and I’m so glad I did.
