When you think of home, what is it that you think of? The smell of dinner being made by your mom when you walk in the door after a long, sweaty soccer practice after an even longer day of school? The greeting your dog gives you by crashing into your legs from over-excitement and slippery hardwood floors? Or, is it the feeling of comfort? That sense of belonging in a new, unfamiliar place that you've been trying to get used to. College is the ultimate step in growing up. It's exposure to a world that doesn't always involve home-cooked meals and laundry being folded for you every Sunday. College classes aren't those first day getting to know you games and waiting till the night before (or even the day of, in my case) to study for an exam. College social life isn't dressing in theme for football games every Friday night and trying to make it home by curfew on the weekends. It's dining hall food and all-nighters in the library. It's that constant pressure of feeling like you have to have your life figured out, and feeling even more nervous when you come across someone who actually knows what life entails post college. It's the daily battle of asking yourself if should you go out or should you stay in. It's the nightly craving for Andy's Frozen Custard or Insomnia Cookies or anything remotely terrible for your health, because you deserve it... right? "I didn't miss one class these last two days, so I deserve this" or "I didn't bomb my midterm, so it's fine" or the classic "College is just tough". All very common thoughts, all very valid reasons.

College is a lot, plain and simple. We're kind of thrown into this whole "school" thing and expected to figure it out within two days. But, truth is... you never really will figure it out. You will change your major way more than you expected. You will stay out too late, thinking that you wouldn't be too tired for that 8 a.m. class, only to find yourself waking up at 10:36 a.m. the next morning still sporting last night's makeup and immediate regret to even leaving your room the night before. You will come across people that aren't who you thought they'd be, and it will hurt you. You will have bad days where absolutely nothing will go in your direction. And that is all okay. It's part of it, this whole college thing. To learn from experience is the best way to grow.

There is an insane amount growth that goes occurs in college. You learn more about others, and how to live in a society where no... you won't always get along with those you're surrounded by. You learn more about this huge world and how to find your own personalized place in it. You learn more about yourself. You learn what makes you excited, nervous, jealous, happy. You learn what you are genuinely passionate about, and the meaning of true, genuine friendships, which is so important to know.

However, the most important lesson learned in college is how to make it home. Sure, it may not include your dog approaching you like he hadn't seen you in years or a meal being served to you that isn't from a dining hall. It may not include your laundry being done for you or being able to run downstairs to talk to your parents instead of playing endless phone-tag with your parents for days on end. It's more than that. It's confidence in walking around campus and actually knowing how to get to class, instead of relying on the Maps app on your iPhone. It's finding joy when you see that your dorm's dining hall is serving your favorite meal for lunch that day. It's being able to look around at the people you're surrounded with, and having an overwhelming sense of pride that you get to call them not just your best friends, but your family.

I have learned quite a bit while being here in college... but not all of it came from a lecture hall and a professor. And it is something that will stick with me for quite some time in any sort of situation, it is what you make it. Leaving home to come to college is tough, but putting in the effort to making a home out of it is essential. Seeing the good in the what seems like never-ending bad days makes this whole experience worth it. Being able to make a home out of the people and the experiences, rather than the place that you grew up, is something that will come in handy wherever your life takes you.