We tend to take a lot of things for granted during the 4 years we spend as High School students. As a current sophomore attending a University, I’ve learned just as many things outside as I have inside the classroom. Mom and Dad aren’t downstairs anymore when I’m hungry for dinner or upset about a petty issue. Even more so, every obstacle I thought I faced in High School has multiplied by ten. I never thought they were right when they said college was going to stop me in my confident tracks and make me question my potential at least twice a week (I can’t be the only one). Instead of my siblings (who are also my best-friends) being in the other room, they’re over 100 miles away. I can call them, but our schedules don’t always match up. Complaining about having to do an hour of homework turns into at least 4 hours of homework a day. All of a sudden, I’m an adult. I have to do my own grocery shopping, I have to get a job, and I have to live on my own. As High School students, we forget to think about these things before they suddenly hit us square in the face.

But, these hurdles really aren’t so bad. Attending a University has taught me that there is an entire world beyond the roots of the small town I’ve lived in almost my entire life. I’ve learned new back roads and memorized new paths. I’ve came across new faces, and before I knew it the person living next to me is my new best-friend. The first couple weeks of living on campus are brutal. I don’t know how to function without the people I love surrounding me. But, it’s essential to grasp the fact that I’ll eventually learn how to mold to a new lifestyle. I’ll learn the schedules of my parents and siblings in case I need to vent about something or need tips on how to buy the right things when grocery shopping. Doing loads of homework becomes a routine; and I go to bed every night with the utter satisfaction of knowing that I did something productive and worthwhile that day. Going home only on Holidays and not seeing my family for weeks will always be hard, but it gets so much easier with time.

Attending a university, I’ve learned to put myself first. I mean, isn’t that what college technically is? I’m paying an insane amount of money to make a better version of myself. I’m paying $50 a class to expand my cultural horizons, become a better communicator and learn how to attack the world in front of me. Jumping into all of this, it sounds rejuvenating. And it is. But on top of becoming a stronger candidate for professional opportunities, I’ve learned that life is short. And it goes by faster and faster as I get older. I don’t have time for petty issues anymore, and I can’t waste my time being heartbroken over someone not worthy of my effort. College is meant to focus on myself, and if along the way I meet someone who has fallen in love with my aspirations, that will be great. If along the way I meet people who are interested in the same things I like, that’s awesome. But, I will not change who I am in order to fit into a clique or be accepted by people that won’t matter in ten years.

A lot of people in their University years tend to come to this realization. Life is about respecting the person I am and helping that person grow every day. But, it's also crucial to remember the people who helped make me this way. If I've learned this lesson all on my own, it's probably because I've been surrounded by an undeniable amount of support throughout my life. I owe a huge thanks to my parents and my siblings. My mom helped me become a strong woman, and my Dad helped bring out the side of me that is a fighter. My siblings taught me what real friends look like, and why it's important to never give up after a fight or disagreement. Disputes will occur; but that doesn't mean you throw in the towel. During my High School years, and truthfully my entire life, I took for granted the people in my family who transformed me into the person I am today. And now, being so far away from them, I've developed a better appreciation for them. My family and my own individuality are the ones who will always be worth fighting for.

So, I’m not in High School anymore. I’m attending a University now, and that represents my opportunity to make something out of the person my parents raised me to be. It represents my new learned ability to love, learn and thrive in this world. The whole world is in my hands now, and it’s up to me what I want to do with it. And I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty damn exciting. Scary, too. But if I’ve learned anything from transitioning from High School to a University, it is that fear is not undefeatable.

It is lifting.