This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I remember the night before I went to college. It’s engraved in my mind like a cigarette stain on an old coach. It’s the uncomfortable feeling of knowing your world is going to change in ways you can’t imagine. Your room at home will no longer be the bed you can’t wait to return to after a long day. Your roommates will become your go-to for everything from medical advice to consolation after a bad test. The knowledge that everything is going to change is exciting, but it’s also terrifying.

As I stood in my kitchen, surrounded by my family and remaining friends at home (most of them left weeks earlier to their respective semester schools), fear lingered in the air along with the smell of Giardiniera. My uncle asked me what I was most looking forward to about college. My best friend answered for me, “the learning,” she grinned at me and we all laughed. Of course, I was more excited for my newfound freedom and social life in college.

Later, on move out day, after I had already said the most difficult goodbye to my puppy and took one final melodramatic look at my blue painted room, my mom told me that she thought Callie was right. That is, the learning I would do in college would be great.

As mothers tend to be, she was right. I learned a lot this year in my classes. My world view has expanded. I’m a better writer. I’m more comfortable being uncomfortable in classroom settings.

Brown and Black Wooden Chairs Inside Room — Pixaby/Pexels

Beyond that, writing for HerCampus and The Daily have pushed me to throw myself into spaces I’m new in, something I haven’t done since the beginning of high school. I’ve learned the importance of putting myself out there – showing up even when I feel awkward and saying yes even when I’m scared.

But outside the classroom or any formal clubs, I’ve learned so much in college. Practical things like what stains I can manage to get out and which ones I should leave for when my mom visits or what combination of medication will cure my mystery cold and flu combo.

I’ve learned things about myself. Like when it’s worth it to go to the gym and when to just watch another episode of “Sex and The City” (also, that it’s not “Sex in the City”). How to stay in touch with my friends going to college across the country and how to not spend my nights thinking about my parents being empty-nesters. I’m now also able to flawlessly weave my love for my home city Chicago into any conversation.

My friends have taught me the most. They’re still teaching me. How to be kinder and more welcoming. They are examples of how to be yourself, each in their own unique way. They’ve shown me what it means to be determined and strong. They’ve taught me the importance of having people who care about you-who choose to be friends with you.

Turns out, college is a time for learning in every way. It’s learning who you are – or who you want to be. Each significant experience from uncomfortable roommate tensions to awkward experiences with boys teaches us something.

I’m grateful everyday that I stuck with the uncomfortable. That I didn’t let fear of the unknown stop me from having this formative experience. Because look at how much I’ve learned – and I still have three more years.

The College Learning

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