As the end of my freshman year of college is winding down, I'm starting to realize how fast this year has went. It seems like just yesterday my parents dropped me off to this scary place all by myself. At the time, I did not think I would be able to make it on my own, but I somehow grew up and learned to be in charge of myself. My freshman year of college has made me a better person, and I'm definitely not the same person I was eight months ago.
Throughout these past two semesters, I have learned more than I have learned throughout my entire life. It's crazy how so much can happen in such a short amount of time. I have met so many new friends, and I have grown closer to my old friends. When you walk in class that first day and don't know anyone, it's a scary feeling. Something you have to realize though is that there are 20 other people in the class that feel the same feeling. You have to go out of your comfort zone once you get to college. Coming from someone who gets nervous around new people, it can be a scary thought. However no one is going to judge you for trying to reach out. Also, try to broaden your horizons. It's nice to keep your old friends from high school, but if you reach out to people with common interests, you might make a few new friends. Reach out to people you usually wouldn't, who knows, you could make a few lifelong best friends.
One thing I have regretted in my freshman year is not getting out enough. There are so many different clubs on campus but I never put myself out there to see what I enjoyed. Don't make that same mistake. Definitely get out there and try different things. There were also so many different on-campus events I never went to. There was always something going on, and I wish I would have went to all of them. However the ones I did go to, were a blast. I tried things I never thought I would do. For example, one of my best friends, my boyfriend and I had a trivia team and we competed in team trivia every Wednesday. I'm not the brightest person, so I never would have played trivia any other time. But any time my team needed to know which Kardashian was modeling or what the most reason Justin Bieber song was, I was there. Something I thought I would never do I enjoyed more than anything.
While college is a time to make new friends and enjoy yourself, don't forget the real reason you're there. You paid more money than you will ever have to in order to be there. Don't skip your classes. College is nothing like high school. There's no make up work, if you miss a day you just have to move on without the material from that day. That one day might seem like nothing, but just wait until the cumulative final. Speaking of finals, do not wait until the last minute to do your final projects. Coming from someone who has two essays and three projects due next week, you may think you have so much time, but trust me, you don't. The end of the semester comes so much faster than you think. In fact instead of working on my projects, I'm writing this right now.
Freshman year has definitely been a different experience. I've had days where I felt like an adult and I could handle anything, and then there were days where I just wanted to go home to my mom and have her handle everything for me. It's a crazy ride, but make sure to enjoy every bit of it like I have. Just enjoy it, and make sure sometimes to just stop and look around and soak in where you are and what you're doing. My freshman year of college went so much faster than I would have ever thought.
