Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
flowers and book on bed
flowers and book on bed
Alisa Anton via Unsplash
SBU | Life > Experiences

Is My Brain Developing?

Madeline Thornton Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I love a good party if it ends before 9 pm. I love to hang out with friends if I am home by 8 pm. The thought of going out annoys me. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sit down, jam out, and get ready, but if it’s 6 pm and I’m home by 10.

If they are late at night, I have now started bailing on plans often. When others ask, I say I am tired and need sleep, but really, is my brain developing? I have realized that saying no is more helpful than saying yes sometimes.

Everyone says your brain doesn’t fully develop until 24. I’m hoping this is true, but for the next 400 words, please believe it.

I am 19 years old. But this past summer, I worked a corporate-baddie lifestyle. I worked a 9-to-5, went to the gym, went home, had dinner, and was in bed by 9 pm. I miss this terribly because it has brought me so much joy. I would sit on the couch with my dinner and a glass of wine, watching Sex and the City. I was reading more, just spending time doing what I enjoyed.

I hung out with my best friend, Ben, from home all the time. I was soaking up the moments before we moved to two hours away, rather than 10 to 20 minutes. During these, we would literally just sit at my house and watch TV. Those moments were the most cherishable.

Now, moving over into school. I wake up early, so the thought of being awake after the time of 10 pm makes me want to vomit, not literally.

I blow out my hair every time I wash it and do my makeup every day. I prioritize my sleep a lot more than I did last year.

I like to dress up for school, wearing sweaters and jeans or dress pants. I am currently making my Christmas list, and it has mostly business-style clothes on my list. I still LOVE a good pair of sweatpants, and I have the perfect ones for 10 dollars, and it is one of my greatest finds.

The perfect Saturday night to me is one where I will bake a dessert, watch Sex and the City for the eighth time, and play a card game. Keep in mind this is around 8 pm, so I can still be asleep by 10.

I call my mom every day and see her any time I can. Some of my favorite memories from this year are with my mom.

I have been contemplating deleting Snapchat and TikTok. Is my brain starting to develop?

I am growing up, leaving high school and teenage years in the past.

Working on myself, learning how to communicate better, admitting my wrongs, and fixing them.

I am only 19, but I am growing up, moving on, and becoming a better person, so is my brain developing?

Madeline Thornton

SBU '28

Madeline Thornton is the Big and Little Coordinater for the St. Bonaventure Her Campus Chapter. She writes pieces that focus on girlhood, campus life, reading and a multitude of other interests. These pieces will range from fun and lighthearted, to some more thought provoking and heart tugging. She hopes to grow the sisterhood bonds with the Big and Little Program as well as her creativity within her writing.

Madeline is currently a sophomore Psychology major with a minor in Business Administration minor. Madeline not only spends a lot of time dedicated to Her Campus, but also around campus with being a Student Ambassador, working in St. Bonaventure’s Financial Aid office, a Resident Assistant, and being a part of multiple other clubs: Empower, Book Club, Psychology Club, Women in Business and ENACTUS.

Away from her academics, Madeline spends her time reading, working out, and hanging out with her friends and family. She has two cats, Clara and Caliope. She loves anything that could be put into a romance genre, from books, movies and more! Lastly, she loves to grab a sweet treat, her favorite ice cream is Grasshopper Pie, it tastes better than the name, she promises! She works at an ice cream shop over the summer, so she will never say no to a sweet treat!