I just finished my first semester of college. Almost, anyways.

My last day of classes was today, and as of about four hours ago I have taken all of the classes of my first semester. Granted, I have a final to take this Saturday, but I am just mere days from leaving school and going back home for a month. First semester was trying, to say the least, but it was also full of triumphs and victories. After all, this was my life for the last few months, and it’s only fair that I had both ups and downs.

College has been an emotional whirlwind, but I have come out of the other side, and looking back, I can’t wait for next semester to start.

The first few weeks of college were amazing and horrible all at the same time. I had no idea what I was doing, and was worried I would either flunk out or never make friends. Looking back on it now, I couldn’t have had more unnecessary worries and fears. I have had the great fortune of living with one of my best friends, and sharing a floor with at least ten more. I have found people that share my dreams, my passions, and my interests. I have found people that couldn’t be more different from myself, but still have become people that I deeply care about. I have met people from California, from Florida, from Hungary and from Greece (the widespread nature of my freshman class never ceases to amaze me).

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing the experiences I’ve had this semester.

In class, I feel as if I have learned so much. My professors are some of the most intelligent people I think I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and their levels of education are intimidating to say the least. Yet, while they have doctorates and masters and all sorts of other degrees, they are still quirky and fun and love talking to me and my peers, freshmen of all people. I have learned how to study, how to be productive at 3 AM, and how to be productive at 8 AM after staying up until 3 AM. I have learned how to write a more convincing essay, what qualifies a source as an “exhibit” versus an “argument” and how to effectively revise again and again. I have learned all the countries of Africa, how to conjugate even more irregular French verbs, and how to thin down oil paint. These topics sound as if they are all over the place, and they kind of are, but college has provided me with the opportunity to take classes that are all over the place and pursue all of the things I have passions for.

Outside of class, I have learned even more.

I have learned how to get spaghetti sauce stains out of white shirts and how to navigate this big city I now call home. I have learned how to motivate myself to get up and get ready for my early classes, and I have learned to find the willpower to eat salad instead of pizza (some of the time). I have learned how to be okay travelling by myself, whether that is just taking the subway downtown or taking a Greyhound to New York City. I have learned how to be a semi-adult, one that does laundry and buys groceries and usually showers before three in the afternoon.

In my short three months as a college student, I have grown quite a bit. I have become more confident and self-assured, learned how to kind of be an adult, and still stayed true to the small town girl who couldn’t wait to leave for the big city (as cliche as that last part sounds).