College is a time for people to step out of their comfort zone and find out what they like and don't like. It's where you meet some of your best friends as well as understand what you look for in partners, roommates, and even work relationships. For me, college has made me grow in so many areas of my life and realize things that I never thought about.

1. Understanding that I make messes

When I arrived a college and started understanding that laundry was more than just putting your clothes away, it was an interesting sensation. Yes, I have done my own laundry before but when I was in high school I was taking around 18-19 college credits a semester as well as being a two-sport athlete and involved in multiple clubs, if my mom didn't do my laundry for me I probably would be wearing dirty clothes for an entire week before I could get around to washing them. Another thing that I noticed is how quintessential dishwashers are. At my home, we had a dishwasher and I grew up rinsing my dishes and loading them in the dishwasher. When I moved into my on-campus apartment and there was no dishwasher, I had to retrain myself to get to my dishes faster.

2. How people make mountains out of molehills

I know that everyone has a couple people in their life that just make everything little thing a big deal. I know I have a few, but in college, I noticed that I am a lot more laid back about things than other people are. For example, one of my roommates is very, very particular about how clean the apartment is. For me, I understand that living with four girls, all with busy schedules calls for messes to be made. I have met people that freak out about homework when they know more about a subject than there professor does, but yet, they still think that every day needs to have 36 hours so they can study fully. I am by no means trying to bash these people or make fun of things that they deem important; however, I personally think that life is just too short to worry constantly about how many dishes are in the sink or how many flashcards you still have to memorize.

3. Knowing the importance of faith and campus activities

Many people think that college kids stray away from their faith when they are away from their parents. Personally, college has strengthened my faith and has led me to so many organizations and friends that make my heart so full. I think that your religion or even your native country can open so many doors for connection in college because there are so many different clubs and groups that you can get involved with. As a Christian, I was able to get involved with YoungLife and that was such a blessing for my faith-wise and community-wise. One of my friends is from Pakistan and she was able to get involved with the Pakistani group at our university and connect with people from her native country or descendants of immigrants from Pakistan. There are so many avenues that students can get involved with, it's truly remarkable.

4. You don't have to party to have fun

This is by no means discouraging people who enjoy parties, they just aren't my scene. I know tons of people that love going to parties because of the atmosphere and high energy and that is 100% ok and justified. Personally, I have never partied and I have no desire to, but it doesn't make my college experience depleted from fun activities. There are so many times that I have just had fun with my friends at events on campus like the Homecoming Carnival, or just going to Bull Market. If you don't particularly enjoy partying and only go to parties because you think that's "what college kids do" then I promise you that there are so many other fun things that are available to you!

5. High school friendships are not always going to end

I know that when I graduated high school, a lot of people warned me about how my high school friends were going to end and that I needed to learn how to make new friends in college. Sure, that is true for some of my friendships but I am still very good friends with a lot of people from my high school. I will say that you cannot hold onto the high school friends and not at least try and build relationships in college because then you are isolating yourself and creating a lack of community, which can cause you to be depressed and feel really alone at your university; however, letting go completely of all high school ties isn't a great way to start your college years off either. My advice is to find the happy medium between the two. I have Snapchat streaks with my high school friends and I call them every couple of weeks and we check in with one another. I spend pretty much every day with my college friends but when I get the chance to talk to people I graduated with, I love and cherish that time. It is amazing to see how easy it is to pick up right where you left off.

College is an amazing time for growth and development physically, emotionally, and mentally. There are so many life lessons and things that I have learned over the course of my 1.5 years in college that have really shaped my personality and my viewpoints on life. I think that being on a college campus is a great way to see so many diverse groups of people and still be able to find your place and grove within the huge university.