A few days ago I moved into my apartment at USC. It has a kitchen and a living room, and even a balcony that my friends and I can hang out on. I now have a key to both my building complex and my apartment. I am no longer living in a dorm and I am no longer living with the same people. I'm not a freshman anymore.

With move in approaching I realized that I would no longer have an unlimited meal plan. I'm going to have to start buying groceries and cooking meals for myself. With this will definitely bring some budgeting and decision making on what will and won't be the best thing to spend my money on. Like do I really need another decorative pillow to go with the five I already have? Probably not. I'm not a freshman anymore.

A whole new semester brings on a whole new set of classes. Some are more difficult than in the year prior. But unlike last year, I intend to make my success in my classes more of a priority. I have the honor of going to one of the best schools in the country. Sometimes when you're in a place for such a long amount of time you start to forget how special it is. One of the many goals I have set for myself this semester is not to forget that it is an honor to go to such a prestigious school. I'm not a freshman anymore.

Last year I made friendships that, at certain points, worried me. I was worried that my friends would leave after really getting to know me. I was worried that any small problem that we had would make our friendship too much of a negative in their lives that they wouldn't want any part of it anymore. I now realize that, that couldn't be farther from the truth. My friends are my friends because they love me for who I am and everything that comes with that. Worrying about whether people are going to leave isn't productive because at the end of the day you can't control what others do. People come and go, but the right ones stay. I'm not a freshman anymore.

Realizing that it is no longer my first year of college is a little bit scary. But at the same time, it's a new chapter and this year can go whichever way I want it too. Understanding that you are the only one in control of how your life goes, is both daunting yet freeing. I've learned so much over the past year and I intend to use all of that knowledge to my benefit. I have many big plans for sophomore year and it starts right now. I'm not a freshman anymore.