As my freshman year of college is coming to a close, the beginning of fall semester seems like a lifetime ago. As my speech teacher told my classmates and I on the last day of class,

"The days seem long, but the years seem short."

As a freshman, the beginning of fall semester seemed like a time of change. At a new school, with new people, in a new place, it seemed like I could be whoever I wanted to be.

Acting like someone I was not just to fit in was a short-lived act for me. It's easy to act differently than you usually do just to try to fit in. After awhile though, you'll begin to realize that acting like someone that you're not just isn't who you are. As a senior in high school, I had the mindset of, 'I won't let people's opinions get in the way of who I truly am', meaning that I didn't really care if people didn't like the way I dressed, if people thought I was too involved with my school or if people thought that I was an over-achiever. As a freshman in college, I began to realize that mindset was slipping away. I started caring too much about whether people would judge me for who I am.

The beginning of college may seem like a confusing time. Being away from home, in a new place, with strangers is enough to throw a person off from their norm. Just because you aren't used to your surroundings or the people that you're with doesn't give you an excuse to act like somebody you're not. I wish that I would have realized that from day one.

Once I finally got used to my surroundings and the people I was with on a daily basis, made new friends and found my way around the town that my college was in, I began to act like myself again. Once I was comfortable at my school, I became comfortable with who I really am. It's important to always stay true to yourself and who you are, especially when starting college in a new place. It may seem easy to pretend to be someone that you aren't, but once you realize that your true friends will like you for who you really are, you'll realize that pretending to be someone you're not just isn't worth it.

When starting out at college and as you begin to write your own story as an adult, do yourself a favor and never lose sight of who you truly are.

As Dr. Seuss once said,

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive, that is youer than you!"