Where I come from, we all know each other, we all grew up together. I was the outsider for a long time because I didn't move here until the sixth grade. We had a set way of functioning as a group, especially the fifteen of us that decided to take AP/College Classes in high school. After graduation, I hugged my past goodbye and moved 125 miles away to my dream school.

I always considered myself to be open minded and accepting of others, willing to adapt to the environment, until I was thrown in the abyss. College of course is challenging, but no one bothers to mention what its like to be pulled from the same 160 kids to almost 12,000 (and growing every day) students with so many different stories, backgrounds and upbringings. On my first day, I met a boy from New Zealand, a girl from Syria and a boy from the bad side of the city who jumped every time he heard a door shut too hard. The four of us though, we had something in common: we never thought we would make it this far.

There are so many types of people in this world and that's so much easier to say than it is to truly accept. Its perfectly okay to feel overwhelmed when faced in an unfamiliar situation. I went from queen bee to ant in .5 seconds. You will learn in a very quick amount of time that your way is not the only way, and will not be accepted by everyone. People will ridicule and ask questions, people will not like you due to where they think you're from, who you think you and what you're "supposed" to be.

The best thing you can do is not be one of these people. When faced with your new environment, thrive. Ask questions when someone does something you're unfamiliar with. Learn about new cultures and backgrounds. Be the one to break the stereotypes and embrace diversity. Changing the mindset of the world, all starts with one simple step.