Move in day was finally upon us.

I had two car loads of college essentials with me and, of course, aspiring dreams to start fresh. To be who I wanted to be. To make friends that would be my bridesmaids. To meet the boy of my dreams.

With no one coming from my high school, I had a pretty good shot at the starting fresh crap.

I was ready to be on my own. Ready to leave my home town in the dust. Without my mother. Without my best friends.

After a stay in the local hotel, I woke up early, brushed my teeth and decided I was ready to start my new life.

A life where I shared a room with someone I had never met before. One where I would join the sorority of my dreams. And maybe even bump into my knight in shinning armor as I stumbled up the steps carrying a crate overflowing with shoes.

So I unpacked my room. Moved things around as much as I really could in this box I now called my home. Hung up photos of my family, my cheer squad, prom, graduation, and all the memories of who I used to be.

Don't forget the cliché canvases filled with encouraging words from my favorite Disney movies.

Fear had yet to sink in.

I had pictured this day for months.

I focused so much time thinking about my new life that I forgot I was leaving behind the people I cared about most. I realized my people, my best friend, my mom, my dog, would not be here in this strange town.

It was just going to be me. Just me.

I was thrown into this town, this campus, with nothing but a few suit cases to carry my life.

Hours after my mother left, I called her up and said I was loving college already. Little did she know I had already cried twice.

I started wracking my brain for reasons I decided to go somewhere all alone. Literally alone.

Here, a campus with 12 thousand plus students, and I didn't even know the people that I would be sharing a bathroom with for the next year.

But I survived my first semester, through the ups and downs, I found friends that will last past the next four years. I made memories I will never forget.

So I am here to tell you, it will be okay. Stick out those first awkward weeks.

Most importantly: know that you are allowed to freak the freak out.

Give it time. Put yourself out there. Talk to your classmates. Make unforgettable memories, and memories you don't remember are okay too. Accept that it will take time to form friendships and it might be a little while until you have a new normal.

With that being said..

Welcome to college. It could be the best four years of your life. Live it up. Soak it in. Take a deep breath and start your own journey.