You told me how great it would be. You warned me of the challenges, raved of the opportunity, and practically drooled over the friends I hadn’t even made yet. You gave me countless pieces of advice and sent me hundreds of articles to read about college. And guess what? It’s even better than you said.

When you’re a high school senior closing in on graduation, all anyone can ask about is college. Where are you going? Who’s your roommate? What are you studying? Are you excited? You learn to recite the mini-speech by heart, and eventually get to the night before move-in day and realize “What the heck, this is happening?!” The whole transitionary summer between high school and college is a total blur. It’s not until the few days before I left that I was finally able to actually process my emotions. Even then, I had no idea what I was in for.

College is all-consuming, as it should be! You pack up your room, move to a new place, and devote all of your time and energy to fully transitioning into a completely new environment. College is a commitment. When I think back to where I was a year ago, I had no idea how big this change was actually going to be. I understood it would have its challenges, and I was really excited about the freedom and adulthood Westmont would bring. But never did I realize how emotionally straining this experience would be.

When you told me about college, you focused on the good stuff. You laughed and fondly reminisced over your “college days,” telling me about late-night adventures, horrible eating habits, and hilarious roommates. You weren’t trying to lead me astray, I’m sure. Twenty years from now I doubt I’ll remember the late night sobbing-over-my-homework experiences. Or if I do, I doubt I’ll want to talk about it. The thing is, though, that these stories didn’t represent the whole truth. I walked into college, like most of my friends, with an inflated sense of the fun, and an under-represented reality of the hardships.

College is a rollercoaster of brand-new experiences. It’s fun, challenging, transformative, and crazy rad. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to experience everything you told me about. But I’m also glad for the experiences you didn’t mention. The homesickness, late nights crying, and relationship drama have shaped me and grown me. I’ve learned how to navigate these waters, and am learning how to become my own, adult self. College is even better than you said. Not only have I made awesome memories, but I’ve also gone through hard experiences that have shaped who I am.

So, to everyone who told me about college, thank you. I have waded through rough waters, made awesome friendships, and experienced crazy cool opportunities. The articles you sent me about living in a dorm room, eating from a cafeteria, and dealing with roommate drama have definitely come in handy. But there’s one thing you, and all of those articles, forgot to mention. College is hard. Not just lots-of-homework hard, either. College is for growing up, establishing yourself, and going through the difficult process of discovering who you want to be. You know what, though? I’m glad you forgot. Walking into a whole new life, I needed an inflated sense of fun. I needed the hardships to be under-represented. I needed to discover that I was allowed to become whoever I wanted to be. If I hadn’t gone through that process on my own, I’m not sure I would be who I am today. I’m still working through all the craziness, and I’m nowhere near past the struggles. In the light of all the uncertainty, however, there is one thing I do know: College is everything you said… and so much more.