I love college don't get me wrong. The first month of college has already beat my high school experience by a long shot.

Last week, I got the chance to return home for a while during my fall break. Of course, I took advantage of the opportunity and spent some time back at my old stomping grounds in my high school yearbook class. I got to talk to students about how yearbook shaped me, led me to my career, and helped me build one of my favorite lifelong friendships. I caught up with some old pals and had long conversations with my yearbook advisor.

During one of my conversations with my yearbook advisor, one question she asked me helped me to finally admit something.

"What is one thing that surprised you about college?"

How emotionally challenging it is for me to go back every time I come home. How sad and lonely I feel walking back up to my room after being surrounded by so much love for a short time. How much I wish I could just go home some days and never come back.

I have so much going for me at ASU. I joined a sorority and I'm radio DJing. I even want to join another club next semester.

I got myself as involved as I possibly could, but I still don't understand why I'm so unhappy.

According to an article in Seventeen Magazine,

"Last year UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute (which has studied the lives of incoming college students every year for the last 50 years in its American Freshman report) found that the 150,000 freshmen they surveyed rated their emotional health as lower than any class since 1985. When asked to rate their emotional health compared to their peers, only about 51-percent said theirs was 'in the highest 10 percent' of people or even 'above average.'"

Life truly does move fast. It feels as if just yesterday I was entering my senior year of high school. Now, I'm in college fighting to make a name for myself all over again.

It's hard and every single college freshman will tell you that. No one will admit it right away, but transitioning into college life actually isn't easy and it doesn't happen right away. It's October and I'm still not fully settled yet. It's emotionally draining.

While it may still be a challenge now, someday things will get better. No matter how sad I get and no matter how hard life may seem, I will keep chugging along. The light at the end of the tunnel will show up sometime.