When I think back to August 21, 2017, it feels like yesterday.

It was 4:30 a.m. and my life was being packed, crammed and loaded into my car so it could be hauled off and moved into my new home. Tears uncontrollably rolled down my face as I said bye to my siblings as if I wasn’t going to see them a few short weeks later, but fully realizing things would never really be the same.

I stared long at my house I have called home for the last 12 years, knowing I soon would be nestling into a new and completely unnerving environment, my dorm room, I guess I would have to consider home as well. Today, with four weeks left until my freshman year comes to a conclusion, I once again experience those tears I shed in August.

Only this time, those tears rolling down my face those from emotions about having to leave school.

I learned a lot about myself this year, primarily, that I am capable of doing a lot more on my own than I originally had thought. College has its own way of teaching you about independence and maturity, and even if you think you call your parents 24/7 to ask for advice (guilty), you are still living alone, planning your meals alone, and most importantly, managing your time alone.

I went to college with just the knowledge passed down to me from older friends and from what social media had falsely portrayed to me. Let me warn you, those stories about what goes on between Thursday and Saturday are truly not what college is about.

There is much more to it than a tailgate or a frat party, and learning that was essential to getting through my freshman year. I learned that a picture only tells the story of 5 seconds of someone’s life and that the other 23 hours in the day may not have been as happy as that snapchat story made them look.

I learned that you will have some professors you love, and you will most definitely have some that you wish you had known about before registering for that class.

Having experienced this though, I learned that no matter what, you have to utilize all of your resources in order to be successful, even if that means meeting with a professor or a TA whom you don’t necessarily want to, during their office hours, to make sure you are on top of your work and class comprehension.

You may think that your professors don’t care about giving out bad grades, but in their hearts, they do want you to do well and appreciate your interest and investment in their class. Realizing this is crucial to finding the balance between good grades and bad grades as well as a great class to what you think is an awful one.

Time management was key to getting me through freshman year. Having to manage schoolwork with my friends and social life was an adjustment, but once I found a routine, I realized it’s actually pretty simple.

There were those nights when I wanted to go out with my friends, but I knew that the test I had the next day was much more important.

Instead of having my parents dictate when I would be eating dinner when I should be doing my homework, and when I should be going to bed, all of these decisions all of a sudden became my own and I actually felt empowered to make those choices independently.

It is very nice having that freedom, but I can’t say I won’t appreciate their parental involvement when I get home for summer break. It’ll be nice to feel like a kid again with rules and structure, even if it is for just a couple of months.

Freshman year really introduced me to some of the best friends I could ask for.

Even though there were bumps in the road along the way, it is true when people say, “you find your people, it just takes time.” I learned that it’s okay to not have a friend group or group chat right away, but who cares, I have them now anyway. Those awkward first interactions with people are essential to relationship building, and quite frankly, it gives you something to laugh about later on.

So, freshman year, although I had a love/hate relationship with you at times, I will miss you. You were the foundation and building blocks of my four years here at Syracuse, and I can’t wait to come back for more.