"I loved community college."

That's a phrase you don't hear very often. Especially from people who have gone there. I mean, its easy to fall in love with the concept. You save a ton of money. Guys who would be 5s at a big university instantly become 8s. Professors have a worse attendance rate than most of their students.

My one year at a university made me realize I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so I ended up back at a community college. I remember pulling into the parking lot; I was immediately shocked by how much this campus followed stereotypes. LARP'ers jumped up and down on benches to achieve high-ground. In the student lounge, Dungeons and Dragons tournaments raged on.

I came to community college with my high school mentality intact; meaning I was deathly afraid to say or do the wrong thing. I was so focused on trying to fit in that I had completely forgotten who I was. I was pretending to be someone else, but then community college changed me.

Don't get me wrong though: Community College isn't fun. But without the pre-eminent social scene of a larger university, Community College is a great place to find yourself. When you're stuck for two years at a community college you have no choice but to find yourself.

I discovered my love of musical theatre and composing music; looking back, I think I grew to love these things because I wouldn't have been able to survive those two years without them.

Ultimately, I loved Community College because there was no pretension. Everyone had accepted their situation, and they straight-up didn't care. I was finally free to be myself.