As a kid, I constantly dreamed about what my high school life would be like; I’d be going out with friends, getting good grades, going to parties, having boyfriends, etc. It would be the best time of my life. Years passed by, and I reached high school, and guess what? We were so robbed. My childhood friends changed completely; the boys were mean; the girls just wanted to fit in; I didn’t have a boyfriend; I was struggling with anxiety; and I just wanted to finish high school as soon as possible. Then I thought, “If things are this complicated in high school, imagine what college will be like.” I started having all kinds of horrible thoughts like: “What if I fail my classes? What if I don’t make friends? What if I don’t go anywhere in life?”Â
On one hand, I at least know my school, I know the people, I have some friends, I have my family, and I don’t have many responsibilities compared to what an adult or college student would definitely have. In college, however, I’d finally have a fresh start at a new place with new people. During my senior year, the thoughts of college being worse than high school grew intensely, so when the last day of high school came to an end, I was more sentimental than I thought I would be. After all, I grew up in that environment and surrounded myself with the same people for most of my childhood and teenage years. Therefore, I knew what to expect from school.Â
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Summer ended pretty quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the night before the first day of college. My family told me that it would all be fine and that I would love it, but I couldn’t help but remember all the bad experiences I had in high school. In my head, there was only one truth: high school was a glimpse of the sad reality that was awaiting me in college. About 30 minutes or so before my first class, I was trembling and overthinking everything so I went on my phone to distract myself and started scrolling through social media. While doing this, I saw a post showing a scene from one of my favorite Disney Channel movies, A Cinderella Story, quoting Babe Ruth: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” I suddenly realized that I could not aspire to an unforgettable experience if I didn’t push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things. So, I did. I pushed myself despite being afraid, and in no time, I had new friends, I was happy with my classes, and I enjoyed the college environment.
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One semester has gone by, and I noticed that high school was just a small bubble that I lived in for 4 years. Things and people are much more different in college — for the better — and because of that, I’m so happy I was brave enough to take that first step. It doesn’t mean I’m going to be happy all the time, but it’s only because I chose to close the chapter of high school and open myself to new beginnings that I can say I’m in my best moment, enjoying and living the whole college experience.