As freshman year comes to a close, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic, slightly anxious, and extremely hopeful. My goodness, when I left my hometown and traveled across the country to this place nine months ago, I seriously had no idea what was in store for me. It has been full of great moments, success, failures, hardship, frustration, and more fun than I could’ve ever imagined.

My first year of college has opened my eyes to so many things, not only about myself, but also about other people and the world around me. College is the most interesting experience. Thousands of “young adults,” who come from all over the country and the world, and who have never left home before, all pay to come to the same place. We move into these small little boxes that they call “dorms”, with another human or two, and train for our future careers. Honestly, nobody has any idea what’s going on, we are always hungry, we spend a great deal of time awkwardly meeting new people, and we are inadvertently forced to learn how to be independent. We learn how to study differently, find our way around a brand new place, how to make conversations with complete strangers, how to get stains out of clothes, balance a budget, and how to manage our time. It truly has been a whirlwind, but I can tell you that I wouldn’t change anything about my experiences here thus far.

Through all of those novelties and all of that confusion, somewhere along the way I found my home away from home. I have made friends who will be my bridesmaids, the “aunts” to my children, and the hands that I will hold when life gets messy. I have met professors and read books that have completely altered my opinions about this crazy world we live in. I have learned how to live with another person, and (lucky me) she turned out to be pretty wonderful. I’ve also learned that I was spot on when I picked the career path that I am currently pursuing. I’ve learned to appreciate where I come from, the friends that I’ve grown up with, and the special time that I get to spend with my family when I see them. I have had the opportunity to take the lessons that I learned prior to college, from friends, failures, boys, and so much more, and combine them with what I have learned in the past couple of months. As I begin to weave together my life from home and my new life here in South Carolina, I know that I am getting closer and closer to discovering who I really am.

I keep seeing seniors in high school announcing where they have decided to attend college, having fun at their senior spring break, and getting dressed up for their last prom, and I can’t help but envy them just a little bit. They are about to embark on the most transformative journey that they have ever had and they don’t even know it yet. My best advice is to enjoy every single second of the time leading up to freshman year of college. Relish in the anticipation, develop an open-mind, and rely on the Lord to provide. Take on every new, awkward, confusing, and frustrating moment throughout freshman year with an air of grace. The first year of college, no matter where you go, is nothing like you could ever predict—but I can promise that it will be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.