I'm pretty sure everyone gets asked this at least one time in their life: "How is college going for you so far?"

When someone asked me this, I'm like, "Um, hello?" Honestly, like what would be the right answer for this question? If you want to slam a cliché on me regarding college being one of the best times of a student's life, then go right ahead. But that isn't always the case, now is it?

For a person that has been laid back and lazy in high school, a university with top-notch university courses might prove to be a challenge for the individual. To be honest, I struggle miserably with just about any obstacle that comes by and hits me hard. Just thinking about that question makes me feel anxious. If someone really asked me that question, I would make an answer up because no one would actually like to hear the cold hard truth.

As harsh as it sounds, I am quite calm now while I type up this article, really. I mean, my first year at college was bittersweet but worth it. Even though starting my second year was something I regretted, my experiences led me to think it was a worthwhile year. With that said, my initial claims were ironic because of my thoughts to give up on college.

Anyway, here I am in my third year and content with all my hardships. Sounds impossible, doesn't it?

Hold on, let me just rewind to the past here. If I trace back to the past correctly, freshman and sophomore year were terrible because they were just very hard to manage. First of all, I didn't take the right courses. Of course, I was a pre-med freshman student, man. It certainly felt like I was a mouse in the maze of horrors.

Some courses like Bio and Orgo 1 almost kept me up until after midnight. I laid for hours, daydreaming and forcing myself to accept Orgo as a second language. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned. I found myself in so much stress with midterms and the course load. Pre-med was dropped off of my to-do list for college.

I wasn't a very organized individual. Instead, I was an anxious and isolated college student. In terms of education, Biology wasn't my major. I remember taking a few upper division courses. It was crazy because those courses helped me to almost simply fail, if not pass.

One major course I took for my major was Organic Chem. Unfortunately, I didn't do as well in Orgo as I planned to at first. It's not like I was even going to medical school in the first place. At that time, I did a lot of damage to my grades. It was so hard to forgive my situation and move on towards my next step in self-improvement.

No one knew what the next step is, because college already failed me somehow. Back then, I was a very stressed kid skipping meals and eating unhealthily, while also taking late night naps. Since I was skipping out on my meal plan, I was super hungry, cranky, and tired most of the time. In no time, I simply forgot how to fend for myself. For someone as anxious as me, living in a dorm was simply scary.

Can we take a moment and face the truth? The truth is that dorming ain't for everyone.

When I first surfed the college web, other wise collegiates (cough cough) posted information about different kinds of clubs on various social media sites. By the time I made up my mind to join a club, though, the semester ended. I was simply put off by the idea of meeting new people. At that time, lots of questions came into my mind and filled me with derogatory thoughts.

"Who knows if that club is for me?"

"Do I even fit in?"

"Why do I find myself so awkward around others?"

Wait a second... to recap, I don't have to force myself to join clubs in my first two years of college.

With those self-made failures (ehm, IMO), I stuck to the notion that my parents would feel I'm not living up to any of their expectations.

The notion was regarding clichés. It's hard to see how parents, them being as hypocritical as they are, force clichés on you and then tell you the harsh truth. Being an avid thinker, I proposed my ideals for self-assessment. I made sure the subjective clichés provided a pathway for me to struggle for the worst and also to feel better about myself.

Ironic, isn't it?

As scary as that notion sounds, I feel that positive optimism amidst great struggle can bring great wonders into a person's life. Over time, you gradually learn the reality of hardships. For example, if a student doesn't do as well in intro courses and major ones, they can still work hard to improve their grades.

Listen, It's alright if you feel like a failure once in a while. It doesn't mean you are one. Now as I think about the situation, gaining self-awareness is important.

With that said, my experience has changed for the best. At the start of my fourth semester here at college, I found myself more progressive in terms of self-improvement. I took up a hobby to keep myself happy. Just recently, writing has been a great way for me to feed on my thoughts and develop them on paper. Additionally, changing my major helped me a lot with my grades. By changing my major from biology to health science, I skipped out on some difficult pre-med courses.

It seems as though I'm just a step closer to gaining my confidence back. When I come to think about it now, joining clubs wouldn't be as hard. Even though it's easier said than done, I feel it's worth thinking about potential ways to grow as a person.

If there are two paths to choose from, I feel the path that requires a variety of self-improvement methods given the resources and tools is the best way to prepare for the future. As they say, you make your own destiny! In reality, once you hone your skills and morph it into your idealistic self, the key to success is right there at your doorstep.

Anyway, clichés don't actually mean much to me. The reality that outweighs my failures over success has a greater impact on my life. Improvements can definitely be made if I conquer my fears and take control of it as a weapon to control the future.

You know what, I can accept all my mistakes and become stronger.