As I am writing this, I am less than 24 hours away from moving back into school for my sophomore year. All the things I received before my first year, whether it was advice or school supplies, none of it could have prepared me for what I experienced.

College is truly a roller coaster, one moment you are having the absolute most amazing time of your life, and the next day you are in bed until 5 pm wondering how you could such a failure. The emotional ride that is college is unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced, and probably anything I will experience period.

As I’m going into my second year, I want to focus on the bad instead of the good for a moment. (Sorry but negativity is practically my middle name) I learned so much more valuable things from the backlash of the bad than the glory of the good.

Am I saying my positive moments don’t mean anything? Absolutely not. I will always cherish the good times, amazing memories, life long bonds I have made, and even my brothers I found that were not related by blood. (Can I get a 19, 18?) All those things mean so much to me, but once again I learned so much more from the gritty dark things that happened.

I’m not trying to go into all the things that didn’t go as planned because that isn’t the point I’m trying to make. I’m trying to convey the biggest message that my first year taught me. The biggest takeaway I have is to defy all expectations that lay before you. In every situation that life gives you, there will always be an expectation of some sorts. They tend to present themselves when you find it impossible to overcome them.

At times, all you want to do is quit, all you want is for it to be over. When life knocks you down, stand up, brush yourself off and try again. Especially in a roller coaster ride like college, you are going to fall down a lot, and that expectation for you to succeed is going to seem farther and farther away each time.

No matter the scenario, circumstance, or odds involved, get up. Get up and do not dare quit. Do not dare not finish what you started.

It’s too dark? I promise you there is light at the end of the road. People doubt you? Prove them wrong. The pain is too much? Find relief in achievement. You can’t see your own self-worth? Get a better mirror. I promise you can do it.

There are so many more people cheering for you than you realize. There are a lot of people that may feel the same way you will, you are not alone. The realization that you are not alone in your struggles is one of the most comforting things on this earth.

Without even realizing it, you have created your own expectation. That expectation is yourself. The moment you applied to a school you set one for yourself. At one point, you believed in yourself enough to think you can come to the school of your choice and do your damn best to succeed.

Crush that expectation. Send it to the stars and never look back. You are your biggest supporter, but also your most brutal critic. Which one do you want to be more happy at the end of the day?