You enter college a scared and nervous freshman. You pause at the doorway of your freshman dorm, unsure of what the future holds for you. Will you make any friends here? Will you be able to handle your course load? What the heck are you going to major in? You were comfortable in high school; you knew exactly where you were and where you fit in. The whole puzzle of your life seemed to make sense, and now someone has switched the pieces up again. Things are going to change. You are going to change, but everything is going to be alright.
College truly is a time of new experiences. For most people, it is the first time they live on their own. It is the first time you have to make your own food, and the first time you have the choice of whether to attend class or not. It is also the first time you have really had to depend on yourself, and yourself alone, to get things done. And that’s scary, but it is also amazing. All of these experiences help to shape the people we become. They help mold us into the independent, strong individuals we need to be to live in the real world. While a lot of learning in college happens in the classroom, there is even more that happens outside of the classroom. I think some of the most important discoveries we make in college are the ones that we make about ourselves along the way.
When I came to college as an 18-year-old girl from a small town, I had no idea how much this university would change me. I was always the quiet, smart girl who got along by doing well in classes and maintaining a small group of great friends. I did not think I had anything else to learn about myself or any room to grow; I was perfectly content to be just who I was.
But then I moved into Drackett Tower and things all began to change. I met an amazing diverse group of friends who challenged me to think differently than I had before and move out of my comfort zone. I rushed a sorority and met a group of women who constantly inspired me to be the best version of myself (and still do to this day). I joined several organizations in an effort to continue to broaden my horizons. I took classes that explored outside of the box I was used to thinking within, and they helped me to discover what I was truly passionate about. I left my freshman year as a confident, thoughtful person who was no longer afraid to speak her mind.
College was the best thing that happened to me, and I think that it can be for everyone. IF THEY LET IT. One has to be open to all experiences college has to offer. Move outside of your comfort zone. Make a new friend. Take a class on a subject you have never heard of before. I really believe that nothing bad can come from a new experience, so get out there and start doing things! I no longer take the phrase “You’ve really changed since high school” as an insult. I simply respond, “Yes I have, and I’m proud of it.”
