“College inspired me to think differently. It’s like no other time in your life.”

~ Larisa Oleynik

They say high school goes by fast, but what they didn’t tell you: college goes by even faster. College has been the best four years of my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world. The people I’ve met and the memories I’ve had are some I’ll treasure for a lifetime. College has taught me so many things, things about life and people, but more importantly about myself. College was the one place where I truly discovered who I was and who I wanted to be.

Reflecting back to freshman year, as a senior about to graduate in May, I have realized that I am not the same person who stepped foot on campus the first day of school. I have seen how far I’ve come and how much I have developed as a human being. College has taught me that you need to make mistakes, that it’s okay to make mistakes because that’s how you learn from life. I look back at those mistakes I’ve made throughout the past four years and some of them I regret; but I now realize that I needed to make them in order to grow.

Grades never came easy to me, and college has been more stressful than I could imagine. College has shown me that if you work hard, rewards will some your way. Yes college may prepare you for the “real world,” but after college grades don’t matter, so stressing yourself out over a bad test or assignment grade isn’t worth it.

College has taught me that relationships are overrated, that they take time and are something you can’t force. They say you’ll find someone when you’re least expecting it. In the past I’ve found that hard to believe and I sometimes still do. Relationships have never worked out for me; I’ve never had a boyfriend, but college has shown me the wrong type of relationship; a relationship that was so toxic it consumed me. After three long years, I finally got out of that dark hole. To the person reading this: don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t be friends with benefits because you will get attached and catch feelings. Don’t let a boy hit you up only when it’s convenient for them. Don’t fall for their charm and think they care about you when really they don’t. Don’t let a guy convince you that you’re worthless and that you’re unlovable, because you’re not. Don’t fall in love with someone who will never feel that way about you because it sucks. Put yourself on a pedestal and realize that you are worth more than you think, because you are.

People always leave, at least it feels that way. College has shown me who my true friends are, that even the people who you think will be there forever, won’t. The memories you’ve had with those friends you’ll remember for a lifetime and you’ll find yourself looking through your pictures more often than you want. You’ll cry and be sad and think, “What could I have done to make this relationship last?” You need to realize that those people just weren’t meant to be in you life forever; they were just one piece to the puzzle but not the whole picture. Focus on the relationships you do have and the people who make them; those are the people that matter. Life is short, shorter than we think, so surround yourself with people who love you and make you happy, because your happiness is all that matters.

“College inspired me to think differently. It’s like no other time in your life.”

College has shown me a whole new perspective on life. You don’t have to have your future all planned out once graduation comes, because college is all about finding your path. Through the ups and downs, college has made you the person you are today, so don’t change it for the world. College are the four years you’re going to remember for a lifetime, so make it one to remember and not regret. It truly is like no other time in your life.