So last year I sat in this same spot and wrote about my freshmen year. I wrote about what I learned, how sad I was to be a sophomore and why I was so sad to go home for summer. As I sit here an entire year later, I can't help but think how much I have grown, how much my entire life is different. You don't believe the idea "look how much can change in a year" till you go back and look at it. I have completely new friends, mindsets and outlooks- for the better and the worse.

It's funny, you never think your college experience will fly by the way it does, you never think the time you're going to be a junior will actually be upon you until you're registering for classes for your junior year. I'd give my left arm to go back to freshmen year. I'd love to be able to have no cares again, live in dorm with my best friends and eat as many ice cream cones from south as I want. But thats in the past, and I had a whole year of "coming to reality." And thats what I'm chalking my sophomore year up to be.

Sophomore year was the year I came to terms with reality, realized everyone wasn't perfect and had to seriously focus on my studies- a new concept for me. I think every freshmen lives in the freshmen bubble- your classes aren't too hard, you have so many new friends it's almost absurd and everything is new and fun. Its not possible to have a bad reputation because no one knows you, there is no bad memories in places and everyone is good on the surface. Then sophomore year hits and everything is different. People know who you are, you know where things and places are and the good from the bad people. Things you did freshmen year can come and bite you in the ass.

So thank you sophomore year for teaching me when I mess up its possible to fix it.

Thank you sophomore year for teaching me he isn't worth my tears.

Thank you sophomore year for teaching me there isn't anything your best friends and tequila can't fix.

Thank you sophomore year for teaching me my grades are important- and my GPA matters.

Thank you sophomore year for teaching me its possible to work off the freshmen 15.

Thank you sophomore year for teaching me every friend isn't forever.

Thank you sophomore year for teaching me I'm NOT defined by mistakes.

And thank you sophomore year for teaching me self worth, giving me people to enhance that self worth and for being nothing short of amazing.

As much as I'm dreading finally being halfway through my college career, I can't wait to see what another year will teach me, and what another year of natty and frat houses will do to my body.