It seems unreal that I am almost done with my first full year of college. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm, nervous about all of the unfamiliar faces and excited about starting this new chapter in my life. I have met and made so many friends in this short amount of time, I have matured and gotten used to living on my own, and most importantly, I’ve learned so many things about myself. College has allowed me to think about who I am and who I wish to be in the future, all while having the time of my life with new friends that I really care about. I am so excited to continue to find out new things about myself and my friends in the years to come. I know that by senior year I will change immensely, grow as a person, and hopefully find my place in this world. Thanks to my time spent at school I have really learned a lot about life in only a few months, so I am going to share a list of a few things that I have realized throughout my first two semesters of college:

1. You need to put yourself out there in order to make friendships and relationships work. Every relationship is a two-way street, and effort is required to maintain them.

2. Getting out of your comfort zone opens doors to new friends, experiences, and adventures. You have to learn to stop saying no to everything and just give some things a shot, regardless of how uncomfortable you may be. This totally depends on the situation, though.

3. Sometimes going with the flow of things leads you to something really awesome, but you should never let yourself get lost in the mix of it.

4. People come into your life for a reason. It may be for better or for worse, but in some way they have left an impact on you for some purpose.

5. Nothing good happens after 2 a.m. I don’t even need to explain this one.

6. Skipping class is such a waste of time. I promise, in the long run, those two extra hours or one more episode of "Grey’s" won’t be worth it. You are paying for this education, so don’t waste it away napping.

7. Always appreciate what you have and the people in your life. You never know what is going to happen, so take nothing for granted.

8. Remember to give your parents a call. You have no idea how much it means to them to hear from you every once in a while.

9. Life is short, so enjoy it. Enjoy every passing second, see the light in a situation even when times are dark, and have fun.