What I've Learned from a Year at College

I've been away from home for about a (school) year now, and BOY has it been one hell of a roller coaster! I have learned more in the past nine months of being at college than I have in my entire life. And only a small portion of that is academic. Now my year is almost over (just one more paper and two finals to go - whoo!), and I've begun reflecting on all that has happened in the course of my first year at college.
Here are a few things I've learned:

1. Transferring sucks (I transferred in as an 18-year-old junior, living in sophomore housing, and the whole thing is just kind of sucky. Talk about an identity crisis...)
2. Drunk people are annoying (albeit funny, but annoying).
3. You have to know where you stand (on things like alcohol and morals) or you will be easily persuaded.
4. Sometimes, people just don't care about your feelings.
5. You can't do everything, and you have to be okay with that.
6. Roommates suck.
7. Community college does not prepare you for university.
8. Finding romance (or a "ring by spring") isn't nearly as important as finding a loving community.
9. You lose touch with a lot of friends from home, but the real ones will always come back into your life.
10. Some friendships are worth letting go.
11. College is a great time to start new, positive habits.
12. Your issues from home don't "magically disappear" when you go to college; you have to deal with them.
13. The "freshman fifteen" is real.
14. Toilet paper is expensive!
15. Time management has never been more crucial. And it has never been more absent...
16. You can be surrounded by people 24/7 and still feel alone.
17. You have to make an effort to pursue genuine friendships.
18. Family is the best and should never be taken for granted (and you will miss your parents more than you know).
19. Friday night doesn't have to mean "turn up"; sometimes it means turning down for a girls' movie night, watching Big Hero 6 (and that's more fun).
20. Encouraging, godly friends are irreplaceable, and will get you through college.

Those are basically the surface-level things I learned. God taught me SO much spiritually this year, it's not even funny. (You can read my other blog posts to see those deeper lessons.) He's still teaching me oodles of things.

But these are the things that really kind of stuck out to me.

I can't stress enough the importance of finding a welcoming community and making honest friends. I wouldn't have been able to make it through the year if it weren't for some very special individuals who were there for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Those are lifelong friends.

I have been blessed, stressed, challenged, and changed.

This year has seen hysterical fits of laughter, countless late nights in the library, spontaneous adventures with friends, desperate sobs, serious (and sometimes petty) arguments, spiritual renewal, so many calories(!), over a thousand pages of reading, and 111 pages worth of essays written, and I wouldn't change it for the world :)

I have made so many memories and great friends.

Thanks to everyone for being a part of it, and for making me feel right at home (away from home).