Dear First Semester of College,

You sucked.

You really did.

Alright, alright, you weren’t that bad. Honestly, you were pretty great… for a while. I spent my first couple weeks of school somewhere in between not missing home but missing the stability. I forced myself into social situations, but I really wasn't having any fun. It sure as heck looked like I was, though. I didn’t make friends right away. If anything, I repelled them. My roommate was an automatic hit, as usual. I wasn’t involved in Greek life at a predominately Greek school, and my confidence was at an all-time low.

Everything seemed to be going wrong; I mean, when it rains, it pours. I felt completely alone. I would walk into the dorm room I was supposed to be calling home and feel nothing but completely empty. I was struggling to keep up in my classes when back home, I was usually the top of the class. All I felt from my family was pressure to keep my head above the water, but within a few weeks, I already felt like I was drowning. Every time I talked to them, I would pretend that everything was fine, and that I was living the dream. I mean, I should’ve been, right? Everyone else was.

Boy, was I wrong.

Yes, first semester, you did kick my ass, but it turns out that I wasn’t the only one to become a victim. My first real group of college friends came and went pretty quickly, but I found a few diamonds in the rough. (This isn’t one of those mushy “letter to my best friend” articles, but quick shout out to my heaven-sent best friend. Ily, and you know who you are.) These friends showed me that I really wasn’t the only one struggling. Turns out, you really do take a toll on a lot of people. I wasn’t alone, and learning that opened many doors for me.

You did suck, quite a bit, but more than anything, you taught me to count my blessings. There’s always someone out there that has it a bit worse than I do, and it took being at my lowest to realize that. I am so blessed with so many opportunities. I go to an amazing school with inspiring people, and I’ve been challenged in ways I never thought I would be.

So, even though you sucked, a lot, I’m using you as a way to better myself, every semester I have from here on out. So cheers to a shitty first semester and lots of better ones to come.

Sincerely,

Megan.