Eventually living in a lonely world, but it wasn't always that way, and it's not anymore. But something horrifying happens when you're surrounded by the same 60 people every single day for 12 years, knowing their faces, names, even their mannerisms, and you're taken out of that comfort zone and thrown into a pit of 5,000 people who don't know your name -- and don't care to. Am I speaking from experience? No, of course not. College was perfect; I made a million friends the first day, I wasn't afraid to be alone -- I loved not knowing anyone around me! (Wrong, I was terrified). Let's retrace a little bit.

Growing up in Newmarket, NH (population approximately 8,000 in the year 2000), there was nothing short of familiarity. With only 14 square miles, you can reach either side from the middle of town in five minutes. Nothing is big about this town. Not the distance, not the school; you might have me on the amount of pizza joints, though. It is such a small town that I even met my boyfriend (whom I knew from high school but never spoke to) by waiting on his mom at one of the many pizza places I referred to earlier. Anyway, a very small town, indeed.

I think I graduated with 90 percent of the same people I started kindergarten with. I'm even still close with the friends I made all those years ago. As for the ones I wasn't too close to, we're all quick to be friendly and say "Hi, how ya been?" Personally, I love this. I love the close-knit feeling of Newmarket High. My teachers were my friends, they cared, and I mean really cared about what grades I was getting, and how I was doing on a general basis. It made school feel like home, and I think that's pretty rare. This was great for grades 1 through 12. College, however? Not so much.

I went to Keene State College in 2012. I remember move in day like it was yesterday, I brought my three best friends (why was I setting myself up for so many tears?) and mom and dad, of course. I had been pretty excited the past month about moving in and starting college. I mean Keene was known for being fun, what did I have to worry about? I had a ton of friends in high school, everyone seemed to like me regardless of my weird outfits and sometimes accidentally rude sense of humor. I wasn't that nervous about meeting new people or sleeping in a dorm. Until the minute all of my friends left, and it was just my mom and I. I remember suddenly realizing I was about to be two hours away from home with no one who knew me, no one who cared about me. Sure, my friends back at home didn't mind my rudeness. That's because they grew up with me for the past 12 years and grew to TOLERATE it. The second my mom kissed me goodbye and left my dorm room, I began to shake. I had never felt that way before. How can you feel so alone when you're surrounded by so many people? Well, young Sky, I've come to learn that it's because of the environment I was raised. Well protected, always surrounded by loved ones, and never a worry in the world. If I did have a problem, my parents or grandparents would help me with it. I'll admit I was incredibly lucky in that aspect, and you can see why I was shocked with how my life turned upside down when I finally lived on my own. Now after I acclimated and admitted: yes my bathroom is on a different floor than I sleep; yes those 3 girls I tried to make friends with never texted me back; yes my professor doesn't even care if I show up to class, so going is a struggle; things got better. I finally accepted the predicament I was in, and instead of listing the cons in my head over and over, I would list the pros. There really is no point in being negative when you're stuck with something. I began to like the little campus of KSC, learning it's nooks and crannies, even making FRIENDS. And once I made friends (always very important to me), it was game over. I was finally comfortable.

Living in a small town has its strengths and its weaknesses. And for me, those weaknesses came out in college. Don't get me wrong, I know a ton of people from my school who went to college even farther than me and killed it. I don't speak for everyone in my scenario. However, I have heard all too many similar stories. One hitting really close to home with my own cousin. We weren't well prepared for just how alone we were about to be. Nothing in high school warned us for what our lives were about to become. Is this even their responsibility? Honestly, I think so. I think it should absolutely be something that is taught to us in the last years we're about to fly off and become people in the "real world". When I look back to who I was in high school, I don't even recognize who I see. And my rough experience at the beginning of Keene is a big part of what morphed me into this strong, over-social, stubborn and creative person. And I like who I am now. I am glad for the experience I went through, thanks to living in this small town. But I wish I could have warned myself of what was to come, and I hope this article might warn others like me of what they have to come as well. If you find yourself in this lonely situation, find someone to talk to. Anyone. And if you can't, talk to me! I welcome it.