Dear Freshman Year,

Well, here I am, alive to tell the tale of my freshman year of college (Surprisingly). I look back to freshman orientation. I was completely terrified of what the future would bring. It feels like just yesterday I was learning my way around campus. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going.

Last September, I was coming down from the bliss of senioritis and the reality of adult life and college was becoming very real, very fast. If someone told me last fall that I would be where I am right now I would undoubtedly laugh in their face. The first few weeks are spent reminiscing on high school memories and missing your high-school friends. The following weeks you realize that you have so much freedom. I started letting lose. I went out two or three times a week and knew the frat houses inside/out. I made many friends during these weeks and spent a lot of time exploring the surrounding city.

Then all of the sudden you remember why you're in school in the first place. By this time your first semester is almost over and you're cramming for finals and dreaming of winter recess.

Winter break flew by. When I was home for break, I had completely forgotten what living at home was like. I had to listen to rules again. This was okay because I wasn't eating school food anymore. I forgot how much I missed my mom's cooking. I told myself that I was going to crack down on my school work this Spring semester. I needed to focus on my future. I started spending more time in the library and way less time going out. I joined a sorority.

This was the single best decision I have made all year. The sisterhood helped me get better and schedule planning and prioritizing. I started focusing more on my schoolwork. I was able to start re-living my love for community service. I met the most amazing girls who have similar interests and goals as I do. If my first year taught me anything, it would be how precious the people around me are.

I learned more freshman year than I learned in my 12 years of K-12.

I learned how to plan a schedule, how to study and make time for work, friends, clubs/activities, eating, cleaning, and school work. I learned how to prioritize. I learned to try new things, and I pushed myself to try things that I thought I would absolutely hate. I learned how to make a doctors appointment, I learned how to talk on the phone. I know how to properly clean. I learned how to go on a job interview and how to create a resume. I learned how to do my own laundry and grocery shop. I learned how to make friends and have a conversation with people I do not know very well. I learned how to tolerate people that I cannot stand and/or have opposing views than I. I learned that sometimes you need a break from everyone, alone time is key.

I learned my limit- with alcohol, with studying, and with people. I learned that self-care is a necessity. Couponing is the college kid's best friend. I took advantage of discounts and freebies. The freshman fifteen is a very real thing!

I learned how to ask questions when I don't understand something, I learned that my professors will not go out of their way to help me and that I have to help myself. In high school, I was extremely coddled by my teachers. If I was at risk of failing something, I would get extra credit activities. Now, if I fail then I fail and the only person to blame is myself. I now know the amount of course work i can handle and how much time I need to spend on certain subjects. My textbooks are not dust collectors in the back of my closet anymore. This is half because I pay for them and half because I actually need to use them. I've realized that professors expect me to teach myself a certain amount of material outside of class. This is real and it lit a fire under my ass. I have accepted this huge change.

They say freshman year is a time for self-discovery. I have learned something from each and every person I have met. Move on from the ones that bring you down and hold on tight to the ones that lift you higher. I am grateful for all of the positive and negative things i have learned this year. I will always look back on my freshman year as a year of hardships and learning. I now have all the confidence and experience I need to start the journey of Sophomore year, but first summer vacation!!