There was a plethora of lessons waiting for me my freshman year of college. I had so much to learn about life and Liberty was the best place to learn about things I had expected, like additional maturity, and things I had not expected, like Star Wars facts. Not everyone learns the same things I did, but I wanted to share my experiences so that everyone knows that their freshman year will be unique to them. My experience is particular to my life and what life is like at Liberty University. The below list is in no particular order, they’re just lessons I have reflected on at the end of this incredible school year. Here's what I learned:

1. What it means to grow up.

With no one around to remind me to do my laundry and help with the load, I learned the practical parts of growing up fast. I figured out that stealing plastic bags from Walmart was okay on my ethical radar because the trash had to go out somehow and that dirty dishes are way more annoying in a dorm than at home. I also learned that bedtimes are important, making a bunk bed is only half impossible, and that eating healthy is my own decision to make, no one can make it for me.

2. How to live with people.

I have an older sister and a twin sister, so living with girls around my age didn’t seem crazy at first. But sharing a room with two girls and a bathroom with thirty-five of them teaches you a thing or two. I can now sleep through alarms (both my own and my roommates'), contain my mess, and shower in ten minutes instead of twenty (unless I’m shaving). I know that sharing food is always better than keeping it all to yourself and that though bunk beds can be shaky when two people are tossing and turning, they’re also lots of fun.

3. How to suffer.

Suffering is a terrible thing to say I learned my first year of college, especially at such a great school like Liberty, but it’s true. I learned how to suffer through an 8:15am class when there are only three classes left and you’re dying to skip but have no skips left. I learned how to suffer through hours in the Math Emporium that make you believe Hell can be on earth. I learned that your grandmother having surgery eight hours away makes you suffer inhuman amounts of worry. And then I learned that God is in control, even when I’m suffering.

4. My opinion is just as important as any other 'real' adult's.

When I say ‘real adult’ I mean the people who pay bills and can afford vacations and hold steady full-time jobs. They’re already a part of the world so of course they have an opinion on global warming and abortion. They’re adults. It’s what they do. But just because I’m still learning to be an adult while here at college doesn’t mean I can’t have strong opinions. I believe global warming is a real problem, not just a myth. I believe abortion is wrong because it is taking away the life of a child that God created with a plan and a purpose. I will continue to form opinions while in college because I am a valid human being even if I don’t pay taxes (yet).

5. Procrastination is only somewhat evil.

In high school, you procrastinate for a night and everything is ruined because you have the same classes the next day. In college you only have certain classes on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays and other classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so procrastination is much easier. It’s also easier to catch up with such a schedule, so sometimes that quiz that isn’t due until Thursday can be done on Thursday instead of Wednesday. After all, Campus Community is awesome. It still sucks to read an entire Shakespeare play in one day, so I don’t suggest heavy procrastination, but I definitely learned that it’s not as bad as in high school.

6. Multiple friend groups are necessary.

Most high school friend groups are always together. You sit with those people at lunch, you work on projects together, and you go to the football games with them. They are your people. Meanwhile in college you have many friend groups: your roommates, that collaboration of people that all like Marvel as much as you do, your theology study group, people from the ASL Club. No one will be offended if you eat lunch with your roommates then go out to the movies with your Marvel people. It’s necessary to be a member of so many groups because everyone has different schedules, so lunch can be had with one group on Mondays while you eat with a different group on Tuesdays. I loved learning that more really is merrier.

7. 'Unimportant' facts are important.

So the fact that your friend has two huskies and Bilbo Baggins is played by Martin Freeman in The Hobbit won’t be on a test or necessary information for an essay. However, that doesn’t make the information unimportant. Your friendships will be more meaningful if you remember to ask about their pets and life will be more fun if you can remember the basics of The Lord of the Rings as you watch it with your hallmates. Facts are not made important by their value during an evaluation. Facts are made important by how you feel about them, so go ahead and remember the names of your roommates siblings and the superpowers of the Avengers. There is plenty of room in your brain for math equations and literature quotes, too.

8. How to trust God.

When you’re living eight hours away from home, sometimes all you can do is trust God. Instead of asking my mom her opinion when I was sick, all I could do was take medicine and pray. While my grandmother had open heart surgery, I couldn’t be with her, so all I could do was trust God. It was a difficult lesson to learn, but I’m grateful that God taught me it nonetheless.

9. Classes not related to your major are awesome.

One general education class Liberty University offers is Theology 202. It was a required class and it fit in my schedule, so I took it my first semester. Although theology has nothing to do with being an English major, I fell in love with the class. It was incredible to learn about the different doctrines of Christianity and study the details of my faith. I loved discovering the nuances of a subject I had never studied formally.

10. It's okay to be a child.

High school students often try to act as mature as possible because they’re still teenagers but don’t want to be. I definitely felt the pressure to act older than my age in order to be respected and though I never missed out on fun because of it, I now know I spent way too much time being serious. College students also have to be serious, we are getting a degree that will last for the rest of our lives, but being away from home liberates the inner child. You’re in a brand new place with brand new people - of course you’re going to explore like a five year old and bond over Veggietales with your roommates. And that’s a good thing. Everyone needs to know how to have fun. I’m certainly glad I re-learned how.

11. God is real.

In theory, I always knew this. I grew up learning Bible stories about God’s reality and I carried that personal faith with me throughout high school. However, when environments change and uncontrollable circumstances whirl around you in a terrifying tornado, your faith is challenged. My grandmother died my first semester of college. I was told she had significantly weakened and woke up the next morning to a text that said ‘Grandma passed away early this morning.’ It was possibly the worst morning of my life. And I was stuck in a place where all I could do was turn to God in more than prayers at a ceiling with hopes they reached an existence intelligent being. I crawled into God’s lap and wept. God had to be real because I believed He was there with me, holding every tear that dropped out of my eyes. It was a lesson learned in an instant and it was a lesson I will never forget.

I will always cherish what I learned my first year at Liberty. There are a thousand other things I could add to this list about college libraries and birthdays when you’re eight hours from home, but these eleven lessons seemed the most important. I hope that your college experience, whether it was years ago or years in the future, is just as incredible as mine was. Make sure you learn a few things, too.