Somewhere in the mysterious transition between high school and college, something changed. We no longer sluggishly stomped through hallways lined with lockers - now, we found ourselves strutting across campus with newfound excitement.
We have transitioned from smaller-minded beings that have only experienced a tiny portion of this huge world. And as we continue to experience the world, it only grows bigger. High schools were built on small-town ideals, and these ideals sputtered and died the moment we set out on our own.
Walking into college completely blind, with no idea of what to expect, I surprised to find that I was happy on my own - as well as by the openness of the people I surrounded myself with. Those cliche sayings are all true - high school really was a learning experience, and college is truly where you find your lifelong friends. We have been bullied. We have been isolated. We have been through heartbreak, disappointment, and lies. We were completely blind to the lessons we were learning as it happened, and yet as soon as we stepped away and put those parts of our lives behind us, it all became obvious. We look back in regret of the times we let ourselves be pushed around - or perhaps even was the one doing the pushing. For the majority of us, it seems high school may not have been the greatest time of our lives - yet it paved the way for us to truly enjoy our time in college. Because by the time we reach college, there isn't a single one of us left who wants to be alone, to be bullied, or to repeat our past mistakes.
College is infinitely greater than high school because we are no longer trapped by the mindset of a small town. We are all fish, finding our way through the sea. We are surrounded by thousands of others who understand because we are all going through these same struggles. Our past mistakes no longer define us - all of us are taking those mistakes and learning how to move forward, to be better individuals. Our learning experience never stops, but college gives us a chance to refresh, to step back, to apply what we have learned from our past and make ourselves into who we have always wanted to be. The baggage you have been dragging for years can finally be left behind, if you so choose.
Here in college, you can always find someone in the same boat. Someone with the same interests. Someone who can help you find interests you never even knew you had. Here in college, your friends and your life do not revolve around pretending to be like someone else - it's about understanding yourself, accepting that, and embracing it. College is about letting your weirdness shine. We may study harder than our 11th-grade selves ever thought possible, and we may be thousands of dollars more in debt, but we are out on our own. We are learning who we are. And the people we are surrounding ourselves with are on our side.
