By the time this article is published, there will be under a month until I, alongside thousands of other college students, will move into my dorm and begin classes for the first time. Part of my mind can't wrap itself around that, but the other, noticeably bigger part is thinking "Who cares? It's almost here!" After 13 years of schooling in the same district and the same town, moving to college is the fresh start that I've been aching for.

I could list off an innumerable amount of things that I can't wait to finally experience at college. I am excited to breathe fresher air and see much more green than what lives in my hometown (which surprised me, as someone who used to swear she was a city girl). I am excited to go to a place where I know that I will be supported not just by all the incredible teachers and other students I will get to work with, but also by the countless higher-ups who care about all of the things achieved by the community they are fostering. I am excited to spend my days in the music center, surrounded by kids who are just as passionate about their art as I am. But most of all, I am excited to begin again.

You only get so many truly fresh starts in your life. I haven't gotten the chance to experience any, really, and I think that's part of why I'm so eager to jump into this one. I can't deny that I was happy with my high school years. After a while, though, I started to feel constricted by the expectations others had developed for me over time, whether they were positive or negative. Once the end of my senior year came around, I was more than ready to get out.

Being fairly uninspired after all this time in the same place also makes college a big draw for me. Having something so big and new to look forward to has made upcoming challenges feel less like challenges and more like dares. It's strange, but suddenly I want to talk to new people, even though that has always made me nervous. I want to go to all my classes, even though they won't be easy. I want to move into a dorm, even though I've seen how cramped they are and how different their communal bathrooms are from what I'm used to.

I know I'll miss things about home when I get to school. The inside jokes I had with the groups I was in during high school, hanging out in my favorite teacher's office, being a band kid, and seeing my friends and family all the time are things I'll have to adjust to living without. I grew so much during high school because of these communities I discovered, but eventually, I think I outgrew it. I entered ninth grade as an incredibly shy, quiet person, and knowing that everyone saw me as that too made me feel pressured to preserve those characteristics more than I needed to, even as my confidence built up inside. Now, I have this really amazing opportunity to spread my wings and take off. Why wouldn't I embrace that?

So, to my fellow incoming freshmen: I hope you're as happy to meet your new school community and to make new memories as I am. If you're feeling a little lost or worried during these last few weeks before move-in, remember that you're starting a chapter of your life that is loaded with possibility. Nobody has expectations for who you're going to be like they did back at home, so you can embrace the parts of you that got pushed down before. Plus, you may not know anyone, but you're certainly not alone. At the baseline, everybody chose to go to your school because they saw it as a place where they could grow, just like you did. Keep your head up.

Here's to the clean slate we're being handed. Let's make the most of it.