About this time last year, I thought I knew it all. I was finally going to be a college freshman. And of course, that meant I knew everything, right? Well, not exactly. I didn't know how much I would change. I didn't know how academically hard it would be. I didn't know a lot.

One year of college really changes a person. If you go to a Jesuit university like I do, by the end of your first year, you would have consumed the "Jesuit punch." Meaning, you have been exposed to so many new ideas, passions, career choices, aspirations, and people that you have never had experienced before college. That bubble that was your city, friends, and high school was no longer following you. I learned how much there was to experience in the real world. I transformed into a person that was more open-minded, more adventurous, more daring, more passionate, and more faithful. All in one year.

In one year, I learned how to live with a total stranger. On the day of move-in, you meet the person that you are going to be sharing a box-sized room with. Having a roommate is a great life lesson because you learn how to accept and compromise with people. If you become close with your roommate, you share junk food together because you both don't care about the freshman 15 (I did learn, not from personal experience, that the freshman 15 is a VERY real thing). You learn how to be honest and upfront with people if something you don't like is taking place. And for some lucky ones, like myself, you learn that you can end up being super good friends with your roommate to the point that you stay up late a lot of nights talking about your life goals, future plans, wedding dreams, etc.,

College taught me that just because I was in the top 10 in high school, does NOT mean I will be the top 10 in college by default. At all. This is especially true when you go to a place that is academically challenging and is filled with students who go to the university for academics and not the party scene. This lesson taught me that I had to try harder than ever before. And even if I didn't get that 4.0, the fact that I knew I worked so hard to do my best was good enough for me.

Going into freshman year, I thought that I was a grown-up who didn't need to call my parents in case something was wrong. I thought I was officially independent. I was old enough to figure the situation out on my own. Long story short, I ended up calling my mom in tears two weeks into school because I thought I came up positive for a tuberculosis skin test (just for the record, I'm allergic to the test, so I do NOT have tuberculosis).

Yes, there will be times that you have to figure the situation out on your own, but, it does not mean that you are too old to call your parents. Heck, I've had friends tell me they couldn't hang out with me until 20 minutes later because they had their scheduled weekly Skype call with their parents. That happens more often than you would think.

One year taught me so many valuable lessons that I will forever hold. I'm counting down the days until I get to go back and learn so much more!