There are those moments in time where you recognize that you are in the midst of something great. Sometimes these moments come in the form of a person, sometimes in the form of a place, and sometimes it is just a mere moment that passes you by without a second glance back. For me, freshman year was this moment in time where I knew I was experiencing something great.
Actually, it wasn't just "great," it was: phenomenal, challenging, profound, and a period of so much growth.It was everything I could have ever imagined and more than that. I vividly remember being dropped off on a rainy afternoon, full of rushed goodbyes and the rapid unpacking of my three bright-red carts full of miscellaneous items I thought I needed to survive my first year. I barely had time to process what was going on, and just before I could blink, my mom and grandma were already on their way back to Cincinnati, but I wasn't. I was in Columbus. At school. In College.
Growing up, college could not have seemed farther away into the future. Even in the midst of my senior year, it did not seem to phase me that the next chapter of my life was merely looming upon me. Soon it was months, then days, and then hours. And then, I was there.
As I spent my first few nights in my dingy dorm (that would soon become another home), I remember thinking that it all goes by so fast. Everything you experience will soon become a memory, a "remember the time when." And as I acknowledged this thought, I also did not understand just how fast that time would go for me during my first year.
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Some of us arrive at college thinking we know everything there is to know in this world, that we have lived the equivalent of 10 lifetimes, and that we are, in fact, invincible. Fast forward about one week in and we are challenged to almost every belief we may have ever had. College forces people to learn to find their own defining features, actually think for themselves, and take a good, hard look at the person they want to be.
This year has taught me what it truly means to be independent. It means being able to be confident in your choices, learning when to say "no," and figuring out solutions on your own. As the social person I am, eating by myself was so strange to me at first; after a few weeks in, I became so comfortable with my own solitude and began to focus on individual aspects of my own life.
Freshman year was unbelievable in the sense that I never believed it could be this good. From joining incredible student orgs and attending such diverse, impactful events, I feel like a better human for being at college. Not only was I challenged inside the classroom to interact with my own perspectives, but I challenged myself to make as many meaningful relationships as possible.
I never imagined that there would be a time would be so hard to say goodbye to, but freshman year is definitely that time for me. I often wonder if I will ever feel as care-free and content as I have this year. Freshman year is special in the sense that it is pure bliss to have that sense of independence without having to fully immerse yourself into the "adult experience." Although I am closing such an integral part of my life, I cannot wait to see what opportunities the next three years hold in store.
To the friends I have made this year, thank you for being a part of my journey; my experience would not have been the same without you all.