Thousands and thousands of students (myself included) have finally reached that pivotal moment. It's a moment that we've been preparing for, praying for even, and now that it's here, we all find ourselves asking the same questions: How do I do this? Can I do this?

If you haven't picked up on it yet, this moment I'm talking about is the transition between high school and college. For four years, high school students get trapped in a bubble, getting told about the scary thing called the "real world" and how they better be prepared to face it (without receiving real preparation on how to do so). They get told that those four years of high school will fly by faster than anybody can imagine, but do any students ever really listen to that? No, of course not. They take advantage of the free education and structured seven hour classes. They take advantage of teachers that push them to do their homework (and allow you to make it up when you don't do it). They await graduation day more than their own birthday, thinking that adulthood and "college life" is something of their dreams, something that just screams freedom.

Then it happens. High school students graduate and get listed as college freshman. Tuition starts coming into play. Students start scheduling classes, praying they don't get that one terrifying professor you've heard rumors about, and hoping that an 8 A.M. class isn't as bad as it sounds. The nerves set in, the stress that they've been swiping away for months and weeks starts to avalanche over them, and I can guarantee you at one point in this transition, the doubts will begin to sink in. The reality of the "real world" hits you, and it's so easy to buckle under the pressure.

I'm here, however, writing this article, piecing together all the advice I've received in these months and weeks, just to help out those transitioning to college, because we're all in the same boat here. In my weeks of prepping for my new life away at college, I've had to continue to remind myself of four things, and these four things have helped me to stay confident in my decisions. These four things have helped me to not fear this next step of my life, but instead, they've helped me to dive straight into it.

1. Don't let anybody (including yourself) hold you back.

It's so easy to get discouraged. It's so easy to gain doubt, especially when those around you don't believe in you or especially if you don't believe in yourself. Or, even if you have all the confidence in the world, it's so easy to get stuck on something. It's so easy to have your feelings involved in something you can't get out of.

You can't let these things hold you back from this next step you're about to take. Don't let a low expectation of yourself, a selfish significant other, or even a disbelieving parent make you believe you can't start this next chapter.

2. Don't let anything limit your aspirations.

Many people say that your teenage years are the years that you find yourself, that you discover who you are and what your purpose will be in life. Teachers and faculty members use this thought to inspire students to chase their dreams, to not let anybody stop them from dreaming big. Yet, when it actually counts, when it's time to apply these big dreams to your life, your motivation seems to be gone. The young boy that once said, "I want to be an actor," is now laughed at for having such an unattainable dream. The little girl that wrote "president" as her future occupation was once praised for shooting for the stars, but now, she's told to settle for something a little more realistic.

We live in a world that sees nothing wrong with raising a generation of dreamers, only to attempt to mold them all for a 9 to 5 desk job.

To that I say, do not listen to anyone that tells you your dreams are too big. If you want to attain something, then build the strength within yourself to chase these ambitions. To start getting this strength, you learn to ignore the naysayers that tell you that your dreams are impossible. You build a platform to block the negative out, yet this same platform will become a stepping stool to get you higher and higher into your dreams.

3. Don't be afraid of change.

Change is something that alters everyone's life, and college can be one of the biggest changes a person will go through. It could be as simple as attending a college that many of your peers haven't payed attention to or choosing to major in something your parents don't approve of. Or, maybe you're attempting to break out of your comfort zone, maybe you're moving off to a college that's states away.

It can seem so easy to plan to do these things, to picture it in your mind and think that you'll be nothing but prepared when it arrives. No amount of preparation, though, can actually get you ready for the change that you're going to face. Sometimes, that change itself can be enough to make you crack, make you ready to run back home with your tail between your legs because you weren't prepared like you thought you were.

Don't. Be. Afraid.

Change will be around in every aspect of your life; you'll never get away from it.The reason for that is because our life is a rollercoaster of events, and you as the passenger will never know when the next up or down is coming. Instead of being afraid of the curves and twists life will take, learn to embrace it. Learn to embrace change.

4. Don't be afraid of not knowing where this next step leads.

As stated before, high school is nothing but a bubble. When you graduate, your bubble is popped, and you're told to find a path to follow. But where does the path lead? How long will the path take, and what trials will be faced in this path? How are you even supposed to know if this is the right path?

Two words are the key answer to each of these questions: you don't. You don't know where the path leads, how long it takes, what trials you'll face, or if it's the right path to begin with. But, that's life.

No one will ever live the exact same life; everybody will make choices without knowing the results. Everybody will go on adventures without knowing the outcome, and every one will make mistakes when they think they're doing good. Because no one truly knows how their life is going to turn out.

So, you can't let that unknown scare you. College is the next step, the biggest step, the path that will set you out into the world, but you can't let not knowing where your life will lead scare you from taking that first step into the rest of your life.

Just take a deep breath, and take the next step.