The day that you have been waiting for finally comes: college move-in day.
You are trying to fit in one last outfit and the pictures you took with your friends which you plan to hang along with your string lights.
You settle in your 100 square feet home for the next months with your roommates and engage in conversation. "We are going to get along so well!" "I love pasta we need to have pasta nights once in a while!".
The days pass, you are introduced to new syllabi and a new routine. You begin to develop a more trusting relationship with your roommates. Then the anxieties come along all thanks to your upcoming deadlines.
You miss your loved ones back home and you call them just because.
You procrastinate, but then you are getting stuff done. You slack on cleaning your dorm, but then you gain incredible amounts of energy around 1 AM. One day you make yourself a nice dinner, other times you sleep it off.
You laugh, you cry and little do you know, you repeat this cycle as your college years go on.
We come to college with a positive mindset as it should be, but perhaps a little too positive.
We are excited to take on a new chapter, get along with others and make friends and overall, just wanting to have a good time.
But sometimes, our perfect idea of college leads us to question if we made the right decision.
Let me tell you, yes you did.
When we are presented with an uncomfortable situation in life, we should embrace it. It means we are evolving and we are being challenged to become the best version of ourselves.
It's like a band-aid on a wound. It hurts to remove it, but eventually, we will have to so it can heal properly on its own.
We learn that not everybody is our friend, but that everybody can be our friend. A person you've known for months can feel like you've known them for years.
College teaches us that it is not about us anymore. Here life forces us to learn that not everybody likes having people in their dorms every week and that sharing your notes with a stranger in your class is the best thing you can do for them for the time being.
College also teaches us responsibility. If you ignored your parents reprimands when you were in high school about leaving the dishes in the sink or making yourself lunch, you are now forced to deal with these tasks yourself because your parents are not there with you.
It also teaches us that it's okay to not see eye to eye with others. You can compromise and learn how to communicate effectively.
College teaches us that our work needs to be done and that scrolling through your social media isn't going to help your writer's block.
No one is forcing you to do your work. Afterall, it was probably your decision to continue your education.
College teaches us to be independent and that life isn't always about having a good time. You learn as you go and you shouldn't allow this process to make you bitter.
College will shape you in ways you have not thought it would have. You will appreciate your home more, your loved ones more, and your alone time even more.
By all means, you can have fun in college, but you will also have your bad times as well.
Make the best of everything and let it transform you.