As the semester wraps up, I wanted to share my personal experiences and the growth I have experienced throughout the year that has shaped my life for the better. Being a freshman in college is a hard transition that everyone who chooses to move out and go to college goes through. You go from knowing hundreds of people and having your family within reach to knowing few people and having to rely on yourself for all the household chores you may not be used to. I thought I was ready to start college, until I got here.
My first semester of college was definitely a time of personal discovery. I thought I knew who I was, but as the semester went on, I changed and started flourishing into who I am now. It wasn’t an upward climb either; there definitely were some lows with my highs. I made it a mission to start only doing things that made me happy and gave me personal joy instead of bending to the will of the people around me. While I still have more to grow, I am happier than I was when this year started.
I have changed my significant 3 times in 1 year. The amount of advisor meetings I have had and gone to is unreal. I am still unsure if I want to change my major again or add a minor or double major. There are so many decisions to make when you go to college, and I hate making decisions. My advisors have always given me a good amount of information to think about before deciding. I am entirely switching colleges, despite being sad to leave the Bush School. I decided to switch because I want more options when I graduate. I am excited to continue in English and possibly add some Sociology.
I moved houses halfway through my lease. That was a decision. I am much happier in my current home, but I miss aspects of my old one. Something I had to learn is that sometimes, you need to make the decisions that are better for your mental health and stop worrying about how it may come off or appear. Most of the time, I was pretty miserable with the climate of my old house and it made me realize who I needed to live with. While I have no ill will towards my ex-roommates, I don’t think I could ever live with them again.
I was so stressed about the college course load and the difficulty level. Once I had adjusted to the change in schedule, I definitely did better. There are so many gaps between classes that I had to learn to take advantage of. My classes have yet to have a crazy amount of coursework, but I am still waiting for a class that will make me rethink my belief that English is the best major. College is hard work, but it’s not impossible. If I put my mind to it, I can do anything a Professor throws at me.
If I could talk to my freshly graduated self, I would tell her to take a chill pill and do things for herself. Make the decisions that make you happy, and stop pleasing people. It’s okay for people not to like you; you will find people who actually enjoy your company. Being yourself is the best thing you can be.