The beginning of my story isn't uncommon. I started my freshman year at an in-state school and learned all the ins and outs of college life. Navigating a college campus, memorizing the dining hall hours, sharing a bathroom with 20+ girls, I did it all. Skip to Winter Break when I had a small crisis: I was rethinking my choice of school. I did some research into the transfer process and completed all the paperwork. Now I attend a different college in a different state... but there was a catch. I had to start over as a freshman.

I go to Pace University in New York City and am training for a BFA in acting. I remember being told at the audition that I would need to complete four years in the program, no matter how many credits I transferred in or what age I was. I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be graduating with my original class (and that my twin sister would finish college before me!) but I wasn't going to let that keep me from my dream: to act in the city. So I accepted the terms and began my freshman year... again.

Having already gone through the awkward phase that is freshman year, I knew things would be pretty familiar and, well, easier. Take dorm life. I had been put through all kinds of tests while in my first freshman dorm (can you say bloody tampon in the communal shower?) and knew what to expect. Taking out the trash? Not an issue. Finding the sweet spot for your alarm volume so it wakes you up but not your roommates? No problem. Keeping track of what needed replenishing at the drugstore? Easy. When it came to eating in the cafe, I wasn't afraid to sit alone because I had been there before (hint: it's not as big of a deal as you think). All the little things that I freaked out about before were no longer sweat-inducing.

Thanks to the major I'm in, I was placed in a tight-knit group of people that became a family. I didn't have to worry about making friends; they came with the program. Although there were some other transfers like me, the majority were true freshmen. I couldn't help but compare my time as a freshman to theirs.

I remember sitting in the cafe, eating lunch with some fellow actors when one of them described their latest hookup. I started to zone out the "so awkward"s and "never again"s. I knew that it would probably happen again, and it would be just as awkward. Freshman me would have been in the same boat, not necessarily with hookups (I wasn't roping guys in) but with other mistakes. If I studied the night before a test and didn't do so hot, I didn't change my study habits, I repeated them. If I stayed up late watching Netflix and couldn't stay awake during class, I didn't go to bed any earlier. Going into my second freshman year, I knew better. I noted that as a major difference: I didn't repeat my mistakes.

Some of my classmates would go out to parties or clubs every weekend, others would go to the local bar and drink. I found myself going with them at times; who doesn't love a good drink or two? Other times I wouldn't go out; I knew when to say no and stay in. I wasn't worried that I'd be seen as lame or a party pooper because quite frankly, I didn't care. If I knew I had an early class the next day, I made decisions accordingly and factored out what other people might think. That was another big difference: I didn't feel the need to prove anything.

When you're a freshman, everything is so new and exciting and you want to experience it all (as you should)! I was new to New York, and would often go walking around the city just to take it all in. Those were my "freshman" moments. But I knew how to schedule my time, how to set priorities, and how to stay on track. I'm not saying my peers didn't, but I've seen freshmen with their rose-colored glasses lose sight of what's really important.

I'm not saying I perfected college life. I still freak out when I wake up late and I forget to budget my spending some (*most) days. But being placed in the freshman class made me realize how much I had grown since MY freshman year, as a student and a person in general. Sure, I don't find it embarrassing to call home anymore and I do my laundry on a regular basis, but the biggest change has been my attitude and disposition. I'm bigger than peer pressure. I don't jump in head-first. I know the difference between what's right and what's easy. I still have so much to learn (I'm only 20 after all!) but I have more confidence in myself now than I did when I was a real freshman. For that, and the experiences I've had, I'm truly grateful. Now onto sophomore year!