When I think about ending my first year of college right, I think of everything and everyone that has helped me through it, so I guess that means I end my year being thankful. There are so many things I’ve learned, disregarding anything that was in standardized form. There are so many things I needed to assure myself in order to finish the year strong. Without that, I might have been a lost cause.

I am a small-town girl who told herself that she needed something more. More meant that, I needed to immerse myself in things that I never thought of. These things were bigger than myself.

I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned during my freshman year is to be selfish. You come to college climbing a ladder that leads to your goals. College is the vital stepping stone you need in order to get where you want to be, and the first step is wanting to be where you are.

It was your choice to end up at this college, and now it’s your choice to pick your classes, it’s your choice to join organizations, and it’s your choice to meet some amazing people that can make your not-so-great days feel like you’re walking on sunshine. More importantly, it’s your choice to live your life independently and be who you want to be.

My biggest self discovery happened this year, and I cannot describe how it feels to get to know yourself on a new level, but it’s definitely better than finding money on the ground.

There are so many things to consider being happy about when finishing your last semester up. One, there are no more mornings that you will dreadfully wake up to for your 8 a.m., and you won’t have to slump to school 10 minutes before your class, adorably clad in pajamas. Two, there is no more stress for finals, and to say that might be just enough. Lastly, you can come home to your best friends who have obviously missed you more than you’ve ever known and vice versa.

Of course things have happened this year that were not the best things to come up during days where all I needed was to finish a calculus assignment 10 minutes before it was due. I’ve always reminded myself to put on a pair of big-girl shoes and avoid acting like I was still in my freshman year of high school. Though sometimes I would catch myself out of place, I have, for the majority of the time, been able to contain a lot of anger I could have released on some sassy roommates, or some unforgiving professor.

Speaking of roommates, it was my first year with them, but with some of them, it felt like it has been much, much longer. Having roommates taught me a lot about compromising, and a lot about being a responsible young adult. I think the bond between some of them and I are going to last a lifetime, and I really need to thank them for dealing with my indecisiveness and my random poetic rants of subjects that really don’t matter. I recommend everyone reading this to appreciate your roommate. They’ve seen you at some pretty weird times in the past couple months.

I have spent so many sunsets thinking and wishing that college would get easier. But the cold truth is that it won’t get any easier than it is now. But you can deal with the struggles of college in ways that make you know that it’s worth it. There is no doubt in my mind that I have chosen the right paths to take, and where I am now proves it.

Sure there are bumps on these paths, but I’d say they pushed me in a right direction. College is a wild ocean, but once you know how to ride the waves, it turns into a peaceful little pond (that’s exaggerating a teeny, but it seems fitting).