When I was younger, I was always asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, where I wanted to go college, and how I wanted to live the rest of my life. But what I have learned very quickly is that the rest of my life has already started. With how fast life has moved for me, sometimes I feel like it's passing me by. It doesn’t even feel like I’m in college because I still can’t even get over the fact that I actually finished high school and graduated. I also still can’t comprehend that I live in a new place on my own, and though people say they’re here to support me it doesn’t always feel that way when I’m physically by myself. And from this I’ve learned that it really is time to grow up. It is time to be independent, to be myself and time to be an adult. And though it's hard not to want to curl up at home and watch movies all day. I realized that it's OK to grow up because there is so much to look forward to.

Being a freshman in college, there are many expectations of me to frame the rest of my life. However, these expectations are not always clear. At most points I feel like I am not really sure what I am doing. And the only way to figure out what I’m doing is to go out in the world and figure it out myself. This is where I learn how to survive in the world. Its almost like someone gives you an Adult Life Survival Guide but all the pages are blank and you need to write it yourself, and there's only one way to fill out the pages: by learning. The only way to learn is to make mistakes, and being on your own definitely comes with a lot of mistakes. These mistakes can range from letting your laundry pile get too big, to getting in trouble with the police doing God knows what. I am a firm believer that no one can actually learn someone to their fullest capability unless they learn it themselves. It definitely is tough not having your parents to do your laundry, cook your food, and clean your mistakes, but having your parents live your life for you is not what you need. Making mistakes and living your life is the best thing you can possibly do. Once you learn that it's okay to screw up and that its perfectly fine to be a bit of a mess, you become a better person. You learn what's OK and not OK. You learn tips and tricks of the road. And most importantly you learn about yourself. And the more you learn about yourself, the better you will be.

Then, there's bittersweet feeling of independence. Independence, in some sense, is absolutely terrifying, but it is also the best thing that has happened to me. Technically, I am living on my own, take care of my own responsibilities and I don’t have anyone on my back telling me what to do and how to live my life. My life is in my own hands and from this point on, any decision I make will effect it forever. But no matter how terrifying that is/sounds it also is the most wonderful thing ever. You genuinely control your own life. You get to decide what you want to do, when you want to do it. You can control anything. Your life, when you become independent, is actually a book you write for yourself. But like any author, sometimes it takes time to even get the first page started. So my advice to you is to not be afraid to be an adult. Don’t be afraid to take the first step. Don’t be afraid to push yourself to try new things. And don’t let failure, or broken hearts, or a bad grade or anything get in your way. Because the rest of your life has already started, and you get to live it anyway you want.