College is something that most kids dream of. Being away from home and away from your parents? Most kids can't wait for that. What they don’t realize is that, yes, all of that sounds amazing, but what everyone forgets is that you have to now be on your own. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I couldn’t wait to get out of high school, because who couldn’t, right? What I wasn’t ready for was the fact that now I was going to be on my own and I was going to have to be a grown up. The thing about college is that no one is constantly telling you to get your work done or do this or do that; you are responsible for yourself and your actions.

In high school, we had teachers always looking out for us making sure that we could succeed in every way possible, giving us multiple chances to make up our work and giving us chances to make sure that we were able to get all of our work turned in. In high school, you are very protected. High school prepares you academically, but it doesn't prepare you for the real world.

Once I graduated from high school, I was so excited to start the next part of my life. I was ready to move into a college and really find myself as a person. I didn't think at all about how my entire life was going to change. The thing that I was most excited for was starting my major and really starting to figure out what I was going to do with my life.

Move in day came, and I couldn't have been more excited. I was ready to start the chapter of my life in a new place and a new environment.

Within the first week of school, I had met more people and made more friends than I had ever thought I would have. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

As the semester went on, my classes were becoming more interesting, but for some reason, I wasn't as happy as I was making everyone think I was. Yes, the classes were great, but something was missing. I was feeling very lost, almost like I didn't want to be in school all the time. I wanted to explore the world and just travel. I didn't want to be in school, because I didn't feel like I belonged.

I couldn't wait for Christmas break, because I knew that I was going to get to see all of my friends from back home.

I spent almost every day of my Christmas break with these three girls, and it was honestly what I needed. It helped me feel a lot better about everything that I was going through. They were able to give me very good advice about how to handle it all.

After break was over, I decided to reach out to my friend Paige, a girl whom I had had class within the first semester. That night, I went to dinner with her, and met a good amount of her friends. Little did I know that that was the night my life was going to get a lot better. After having dinner with them, I hung out with them and I found an amazing group of friends that have completely changed my life for the better.

The last month has been the best month of my life. I have met some of the most amazing people. They are so kind and they have helped me in so many ways. I love going to school now, and I don't go home as much as I used to. I go on more adventures, and I go out to watch sporting events and so much more.

Without this group of people, I don't think that I would be enjoying college as much as I could have. Going from high school to college was rough for me. My advice to everyone is to find an amazing group of friends. Sometimes, all you need is a few people to make your life a little better.

Everyone always asks me, "What's college like?"

My answer for them is, "College is what you make it."

I loved high school, and I never thought it would be so easy to let it go, but with these amazing friends that I have made, I can definitely tell you that I'm going to be okay and I can't wait for the rest of college.