As we enter into the last full week of classes of spring semester, I can’t help but think about how fast this second semester went. Not only just the second semester but the whole year in general. I thought high school went by fast, but now that I’m finishing up my freshman year of college I have really began to realize that people aren’t lying when they say that college goes by fast. I also think about how Ferris Bueller was not lying when he said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.”
Now as I’m looking back on my freshman year, I think about a million amazing memories, but I also think about some hard patches. Leaving home and going to college is a huge life transition and it’s not always happy times. It’s an idea that many people don’t think about when they are leaving for college. Before leaving for college I knew it was going to be hard work to keep up with all my classes, but it was also going to be a lot of fun. College was for partying and meeting loads and loads of friends in the first weekend. That’s what I was taught it was going to be like anyway. What they don’t really tell you is that sometimes college can be a lonely time, especially in the beginning. College is not all parties and fun. I thought I would come into college and meet all of my best friends in the first week, but that was not the case at all. In fact, most of the people I talked to during the first couple weeks of college I hardly speak to at all anymore.
It really took me a while to truly find my place in college and it was a pretty lonely time for me at first. As a girl who really finds joy in being around people, it was a really hard time for me, and to be honest I really hated college at first. Still, if I could go back to the beginning of the year I don’t think I would change a thing. All of the struggles I faced in the beginning of college, that in reality many freshmen face in the beginning, really helped me grow as a person. College is the place you truly begin to learn who you are and who you want to be. But it is also the place where you get to choose the people who are you in your life. In high school, you are surrounded by the same people everyday who you probably have been going to school with since you were five years old, and you are forced to find good friends here. While I do have many friends in high school who I am very thankful for and will be close with for a very long time, I also had a lot of friends who I was only friends with because it was convenient and we saw each other everyday. In college, if you feel like you don’t like the people you are hanging out with, you can just make other friends because there are so many more people to meet. This is one of the many reasons why I love college, but I didn’t find my amazing college friends over night or during the first week, or even first month for that matter.
But I did find them. Two months into my freshman year of college I found the best friends I could ever ask for and I am so very thankful to have found them. Without a doubt I know that the friends I made this year I will be friends with for the rest of my life. So if any of you guys are reading this, thanks for making freshman year so great and thanks for being the best friends a girl could ask for!
Here’s some advice for any upcoming college freshman that I wish I could have told myself in the beginning of the fall: It’s not always going to be easy, but stay strong because it will get better. If you feel like you have not met any good friends or feel like you haven’t found your place yet, don’t worry; it will come. Also going off of that, focus on finding good friends and forget about the boys. College is for finding your bridesmaids, not your husband. The person you are meant to spend your life with will come into your life without you trying to find them, so instead of trying to meet your future person, focus on trying to find life long friends. Do what you need to do. Looking back on it, there were many times when I procrastinated different projects and papers to the point where I hated myself for doing it. There will always be other times to hang out with your friends and other things going on, so do the homework you’ve been putting off. Spend as much time as you can with your friends. Time goes by fast and college goes by fast, so spend time with your friends while you can.
One of my biggest fears about college is having regrets and wishing I would’ve enjoyed my time more or done more with my time. But as freshman year is coming to an end, I can happily say I don’t have any regrets. Through the good and the bad times, I have changed as a person but I am proud of the person I am now. I’m so very thankful for my first year here at UW-La Crosse and I would just like to thank everyone in my life that has made it one of the best years of my life!