College: I learned more about me than my major.

For some of you, you just started your last First day of School. For some of you, you started your First Day of College. And then there's those weirdos who have already been in school for a month, but were in the same boat. Regardless of where you are in your college career, you're doing it. GO YOU!

I love seeing the anticipatory posts of the new college babies. I love seeing the reflections of this year's seniors. It's a really incredible time of life.

There is so much to learn in college. DUH. It's why you're there; to get an education that will further your life aspirations and career goals. But what many people don't really talk about is how much you learn about yourself! I discovered myself in college. I'm not talking some crazy existential journey that miraculously opened my eyes, but I mean that I was able to develop parts of my personality that hadn't fully come around in the first 18 years of my life. I learned what I was capable of (like in last week's blog about the group that changed me in college! ), what I could survive, and what brought me a ton of joy!
So you might be asking, what did I learn MOST about myself from college?
1) I had to put myself out there.
College is hard. In high school, I was definitely an extrovert. When I got to college, I was out of my element and I was shy for the first time in my life. You go off to an area that is not familiar, and (I'm making an assumption here) you PROBABLY don't know everyone. You're probably going to have to talk to strangers, and not in a "Do you want a free piece of candy from my big white van?" kind of way.... however they do give out a lot of free candy on college campuses... But in all seriousness, you're not going to enjoy yourself if you sit in the back of the class, avoid eye contact with humans and don't make any friends. Take a step. Put yourself out there. Sure, not everyone is going to be your best friend, but every once in a while, you'll be able to share your mutual fear of your Rhetoric Professor and BAM! You have something in common. New besties.

2) Learn your limits. All of the limits.
When I say all of your limits, I do mean all of them. Learn about your sexuality. Learn about your alcohol tolerance. Learn how much stress you can handle. By learning your limits, I mean testing them. Push them. I'm not saying compromise your values or do things that you know will make you uncomfortable, but I learned my limits by seeing what was comfortable and what was not.

3) Trying to fit in with people you don't like is STUPID.
This was a mistake I made my freshman year, and other short bursts of time throughout the rest of college. If you don't like how someone is acting or treating others, you don't have to put up with it. The beauty of college is that there is a diverse population and there's probably SOMEONE out there with similar interests. Be patient and start looking!

4) It's a good thing to change in college, just don't change to impress others.
This was one thing that I saw from a bunch of my peers. They were pressured into doing things and they made the choice to change but not necessarily for the right reasons. I changed a LOT in college., but I never did the things that would change who I am morally. I didn't hook up with a guy because my friends wanted to hook up with his friends. I didn't smoke weed because the people around me were smoking weed. It goes back to your limits and also back to finding people with similar interests. Develop yourself but don't try to fit yourself into someone elses standards.

5) You will lose high school friends.
Not intentionally. And not all of them. Given the fact that you are not forced to be in the same class as 25-ish students every day, you will lose contact. They'll go off to different coasts, make new friends and new lives. That's okay. But the friends you keep in contact with will always be there for you. They'll be your rocks that you call and it seems like 5 minutes have passed instead of 5 weeks. You'll be in their weddings. You'll scream and cry for joy when they announce they are pregnant. They have a huge part of your life and they always will.

6) Sometimes you have to do things by yourself.
This was a new concept to me. I am a people person and sometimes independence scares me. College was very good for me in this scenario, especially since my parents moved 2,500 miles away. It kind of relates to the "Put yourself out there" point. There were times I needed to study by myself, or run errands alone, or even go to functions without a wingman. It was such a growing experience and truly forced me to find an independent confidence that I had never had.

7) You'll cry.
Because, sometimes, life is mean. But...

8) You'll laugh even more.
You're going to make incredible friends, go on ridiculous adventures, and see some hilarious things. Some of the things that happened to me during my college experience would have made for a phenomenal comedy/drama on a hit TV network. Some of the stuff was so far fetched that I could do nothing but laugh it off. Some of the laughs were alcohol induced. Some were from a delirious lack of sleep. Some, a mixture of both. Some laughs were a coping method when I was so stressed that it was the only thing keeping me from crying. Some of those laughs were to keep my friends from crying. But those laughs are some of the best memories I have from college and they will be forever with me.

Like I said, college was one of the best times of my life. I miss it daily, but I also reap the benefits of my college experience on the regular. I talk to my college besties every day. Literally, every day. I am so thankful for the person that college made me. I learned so much and wouldn't trade it for the world. Embrace this phase of life, whether you're just starting or if it's winding down. These memories will be with you forever.