Freshman year of college, or at least the first semester for me, was full of excitement, nerves, and free time. By second semester I had signed my life away to the library when I enrolled in 17 credit hours, but I don't regret that decision. Comparing the two semesters, I like having a busy schedule. Now that I'm a sophomore, I feel like my schedule is 10x busier, leaving me limited times to even stop and breathe. I'm still taking 17 hours, but this year has felt much heavier; not to say I haven't enjoyed it, but to say that my free time is much more limited now. I feel like so many things have changed since Freshman year, but here's just a few:

Amount of Free Time:

I have pretty much already made this point, which is why I put it at the top of the list. I really do enjoy being so involved and working so hard toward my major, but I have also noticed how quickly time flies now; suddenly I find myself still working at midnight when it was just 7:00 pm five minutes ago.

Deeper Friendships:

This is such a blessing. I established friendships with people freshman year, but those weren't truly integrated into my everyday life until later in the year. However, you discover the true value of your friendships when you return from summer break. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and in this case, I would agree. I have deepened my relationships with so many people this year due to maturity and comfort, and I am so grateful for them.

More Confidence:

After making it through freshman year, it's easy to look back and notice how hesitant I was. I was nervous to immerse myself into a friend group, and I was unsure of how people perceived me. It took me some time to get past this, but once I did my college experience became much more rewarding. This year, I came to school very sure of myself and of who my true friends were. That has been such a blessing and has marked a great beginning to my sophomore year. A lot of that stemmed from my conscious decision to be more confident in myself and to not place my worth in other people. While that is still, and will continue to be, a work in progress, it has definitely helped me recognize the awesome opportunity I have in attending Harding University. If you can decide to be sure of your expectations for yourself and not depend on others to define you, college will be that much sweeter.