Four years ago I first stepped on Rowan’s campus. As an eager freshman, I knew that I was on the cusp of a journey of self-discovery and change. Growing up I eagerly listened to teachers telling me how formative their college years were. They told me they arrived as one person and left as another. Throughout the years I found myself slowly changing. I became a better version of myself every day. Like my teachers promised I found myself become a totally different person. Here are a few big ways that I’ve changed from freshman year to senior year.
- I’ve stopped being afraid of being alone.
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When I was in high school I found myself being friends with anyone and everyone. I was severely bullied in middle school and because of that I never wanted to be alone again. In college, this fear led me to make toxic friends and to let them walk all over me. I’ve learned slowly but surely, that being alone is a lot better than being in bad company.
- I’ve realized that being nice and being a pushover are two different things.
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I used to think that being nice was pushing myself to the limit for other people. But, I realized that I can still be nice while setting boundaries for myself. I’m still willing to go the extra mile for certain people but I’ll do it on my own terms.
- I’ve learned how to use my voice more often.
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This is a more recent development. I’ve always been afraid to tell people my opinion because I’ve been afraid of being labeled as a b*tch. Now, I speak up more often and embrace the label.
- I’ve stopped caring (for the most part) about what people think.
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One thing that I adore about my self-love journey is the fact that the more that I love myself the less that I care about what other people think.
- I’ve learned to believe in myself.
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Getting into a competitive graduate school taught me that I have a skewed opinion of my own self-worth. I’ve been taking a lot more risks and trusting my abilities now more than I ever did throughout my freshman year.