So, if you haven't figured out yet, college is hard. If you disagree, you're lying, and I bet you spent at least one day of college crying in your dorm room. But I'm not here to judge, I am here to tell you it is okay.

I spent what felt like an entire semester, crying in my dorm room. The transition from high school to college was probably one of the most challenging times in my life. I am an only child, so for as long as I can remember, it's always been my mom, my dad, my stepdad, my dog Coco, and myself. On top of separating from my small, close-knit family, my two best friends decided to stay local for college. So, after my parents moved me in and drove the 7 hours back to Fort Lauderdale, I was officially alone for the first time in life in a new place without knowing anyone.

I did eventually make friends and tried my best to accustom to my new life in Tallahassee, at Florida State University. During the Summer C term, everything felt so fresh, so I handled the pressure of college as best as I could. Nevertheless, the pressure that came during the Fall term was nothing like Summer C. I went out with my friends more than I studied and almost failed a class, but I still remained driven to succeed and ended the semester with a 3.2. During the Spring semester, I didn't go out once. I told everyone it was because I had to study, and I couldn't let my GPA get below a 3.0. That was the truth at first, but then I lost motivation to do anything. I didn't want to study. I didn't want to socialize. I forced myself to go to class, but I never really paid attention. I just grew lonelier each and every day. As a result of all of that, I was behind in most of my classes, struggling to keep up which only overwhelmed me even more. It was all just too much to handle. So, my solution was to sleep. All I did was sleep. I slept so much my roommate began to notice, and she asked me if I was okay.

It was then that I decided to reach out to someone. I made a meeting with the Director of the program I was in, the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE.) I walked into Mr. Starke's office, and within 10 seconds I was in tears. I told him I wanted to go home and that I felt like maybe I wasn't cut out to go away for college. He handed me a box of tissues and said, "You are not going home. I know college can feel like a slap in the face, but you came here to do great things, so you are not going home. You can go home for the weekend, but you're coming back." It was the first sense of hope that I felt in a long time. So, I took his advice and went home for a weekend.

The seven-hour drive was completely worth it. My mother's cooking, sleeping in my own bed, spending time with my parents, cuddling with my dog, it was exactly what I needed. I felt like home was the charger, and I was the device that was recharged because when I left, I felt hopeful again. That feeling of hopefulness didn't last long, however. But I remembered Mr. Starke's words and I knew I had to do something to stop feeling so alone. It was then I decided to get a dog. Yes, in my head a dog was going to fix all my problems.

The puppy search took some time, but I eventually drove the three hours to Alabama and adopted a 9-week-old, Dachshund Terrier Yorkie mix. He was 3 pounds and had a black fur coat with brown paws and spots above his eye. The first time I picked him up he was shaking, but his tail was wagging, and that's how I knew we would become best friends. I will admit that taking care of a 9-week-old puppy came with some challenges but the happiness he brought made it all worthwhile. We fell in love immediately. I named him Denzel. Yes, Denzel after Denzel Washington because he is one of my favorite actors. I know it all sounds crazy like come on, a dog saved my life??? But he did, and now life without Denzel seems like a very distant memory.

So, if your freshman year was hard trust me you're not the only one. It's perfectly normal. It's a different place with new people and a whole lot of challenges, but I promise you can overcome them just like I did. You don't have to get a dog if you don't want to, although I HIGHLY encourage it. Believe me, nothing beats coming home from a long day of classes and getting attacked by a little fur-ball who is jumping for joy to slobber you with wet doggy kisses. However, if for some odd reason you aren't an animal lover, find something that will make you feel happy and safe because that is what Denzel is for me. Some may say I saved him from the pet shelter which technically I did, but he saved me too. He saved me from the loneliness, and together, we survived my first year of college.