Coming from a small town that had its own school district, and where everyone knew everyone, moving away to college was tough. I had graduated with the same group of people that i had been friends with since we started talking, and taking our first steps. I can specifically remember playing hopscotch on the playground with the same friends that I went to my first highschool party with. It had become a cycle for all of us; we all partied together, went on adventures, and basically became family while growing up. Senior year came along and it seemed almost surreal to think that in a year, we’d all be in separate places. Yet, it happened and it happened fast.

I was suddenly a freshman at CU Boulder moving into my shoebox dorm with my emotional parents behind me, who couldn’t believe that the little girl who cut her own hair was all of a sudden ready to be an adult. I was excited, the feeling of being on my own was something I had never experienced. With teary eyes, my parents said goodbye and I was alone for the first time in my life. The scary feeling wasn’t there for long as that same night, me and the girls in my dorm hall got ready for our first frat party. It was definitely different from the small town parties i had gotten used to. It almost didn’t feel right or even comfortable to me.

My first week of college passed, and it was memorable. I definitely don’t think I can say I’ve ever partied so much in a short period of time, or met so many new people at once. I was having the time of my life, but it still didn’t feel right. I was surrounded by so many people, but i still felt lonely everytime i stepped into my dorm. I had come to realize that I was missing that sense of security that I had acquired in my hometown. Being with the same people for so long had made me become comfortable with those surroundings, and I didn’t have them anymore. It started to affect me, and i was homesick everyday; I went home frequently on the weekends and actually dreaded going back Sunday night.

See, that’s what they don’t tell you at all those college campus trips, and in the brochures. They make college seem like a breeze and like nothing could go wrong, but honestly, college isn’t easy. It’s a whole new lifestyle that you just walk into not knowing what to do, and it shows. You’ll realize that you don’t know how to adult as well as you thought you did. I had one of those moments where I realized my parents really were my best friends, and that I missed them. I’m sure you will too. Everyone says having unlimited freedom is great, until you find yourself hungover at 8 am with class at 9am. Sometimes it’s not just high school boys that make you cry, college boys will too. We all miss our high school friends, especially when making new ones proves easier said than done. The freshman fifteen hits the best of us, reminding us that mom’s cooking would be great right about now. This all happens so quickly, and most of the time, we panic.

That’s okay though, because that really is what college is all about. We all come from different places, whether it be a small town or the middle of a city. Nobody really knows what to do, and we all mess up somewhere. That’s the whole point of college, to learn exactly what we’re meant to do and what not to do. It’s the time in life where we all get to experience what it’s really like to be free. It’s tough at first, but it does get better. As cliche as it sounds, I found myself eventually, and I let go of all the insecurities that were holding me back in the first place. College is one of the most terrifying experiences, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. The nights where you’re sitting on a dorm floor with your friends laughing, or the days where you’re tailgating at 9 am, or even the late nights studying for your first round of finals, are worth it.

So from a current college freshman to all the seniors out there, it’s not easy. You’ll cry sometimes, you’ll miss class by accident, you might even experience heartbreak. Don’t let that scare you because for every bad, there’s at least five good things. You’ll make memories and meet the friends that’ll be by your side for the rest of your life. This is the first time you’re truly an adult, it’ll be a crazy experience, get ready for the time of your life.