Thank you for the excuse to gain weight.

Freshman year, thank for letting me eat what I want, with the "it's just the freshmen fifteen" excuse to fall back on. Really, you're the MVP.

Thank you for letting me make mistakes.

As a freshman, I feel like I was entitled to the mistakes I made. But if it weren't for my freshmen year I would not have been able to make the mistakes that I needed to make. With college comes independence, and if I were still living with my parents I don't think I would've made the necessary mistakes, which enabled me to grow as a person. So, yes freshmen year, I'm thankful for the mistakes.

Thank you for giving me the line "it's my freshman year" as an excuse for those mistakes.

One of the best things about my freshman year was being able to say "it's my freshmen year" as an excuse for the mistakes I made. It literally worked on everyone: my parents, friends, people I'd just met. I don't know how I'm going to survive my sophomore year without the "it's my freshman year" excuse. But here's to hoping that not as many mistakes will be made next year.

Thank you for the people you put into my life.

Thank you for all 200 of my sisters that were put into my life before classes even started. Without them, I wouldn't have learned the meaning of sisterhood, I wouldn't have so many people to study (socialize) with at the library, and without them I wouldn't have had the endless amount of support that I desperately needed, to get through my freshman year.

Thank you for my roommate, who was there for me no matter what. If it weren't for her I wouldn't have someone to talk to at 2 A.M., just because I wanted to talk (even though most of the time she was asleep and her only response was “mhmm"). Because of her I experienced what true separation anxiety feels like (even if it was only between classes). She listened to my ridiculous rants, and bared with me throughout all of my dramatic moments (because lets be honest, there were quite a few).

She hugged me whenever I just needed a hug (I needed lots of hugs). She constantly questioned my sleep schedule, and always encouraged me to clean my room when it started to look like a fraternity house. Without her, I would've never been introduced to her sorority sisters (and her best friends), who are now some of my best friends in the entire world, and I would do absolutely anything for them. These are the people that encouraged me to try new things, the people who gave me a shoulder to cry on when the drama among our friends group became too much for me to handle.

So, thank you freshman year, for all the people that were put into my life. They are all truly amazing and I don't know what I would do without them, they made my freshman year the wonderful year that it was.

Thank you for the people you took out of my life.

Freshman year, thank you for showing me who my true friends are. Thank you for pointing to the people who didn't need to be in my life anymore. Without this I don't think I would be the person that I am today. Really and truly, thank you.

Thank you for the experiences.

My freshman year, I experienced some of the best things of my life, and probably some of the hardest times I've ever had to face. But I wouldn't take back any of those experiences for the world. They shaped me into the person that I am today. These are experiences that I want to tell my kids about someday. Thank you for that, freshman year.

Thank you for the independence.

As much as I love my parents and my family (and trust me, I love them to death), thank you for separating me from them. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have learned the value of a dollar and I wouldn't have learned that it was time for me to actually grow up. But more than that, the separation from my parents made me appreciate them so much more. I realized how much they do for me, so I can have this life in college. I realized that everything they did for me throughout my whole life was for a purpose, and that it was done out of love. My parents raised me and provided for me so I could be the best person I can be. I'm so blessed to call them my parents.

Most of all, thank you for the memories.

I could probably write a whole book, and possibly a sequel, about my freshman year. There are so many memories that I never want to let go of. Like the Saturday's in the fall that I spent in the stadium, cheering on my favorite team, until I lost my voice. All of the awkwardly wonderful swaps and socials for my sorority. The time I made my roommate go with me to an Asian food market, just because I wanted to try new things. Like the time (okay, several times) I danced the night away with my best friends at fraternity parties. The countless nights at the bars, when I probably should've been in my dorm studying. All of the birthday dinners for my closest friends, dinners I couldn't afford, might I add. The time I went through my rebellious phase at the beginning of the year and dyed my hair red, and got my nose pierced. Of course, there was spring break, who could forget that? The late nights (did I say late nights? I meant all nighters.) in the library where I met some of my best friends in the entire world. These are the times that I never want to forget.