It’s the end of my freshman year and let me tell you, it’s been a long ride. My year was full of ups and downs, speed bumps and hurdles. But at the end of it all, I finally found my home.

Senior year I was accepted into seven colleges. Of course, this made choosing which would become my place for the next four years insanely difficult. I was eager to go on all of my visits and I thought once I did, there would be one that just stood out and I would know instantaneously which would be my home.

I went on visits for what felt like an eternity and finally had it down to two schools that stood out to me in particular. Two that I could imagine walking the campus of every day, finding my favorite coffee shop to sit down and do homework, and finding my spot to fit in.

Choosing between the two was going to be horrendous. They were complete opposites in almost every way and it was up to me to decide which one I thought I would enjoy the most. After a lot of thinking, fretting and tossing the pros and cons around, I finally chose the latter of the two schools I visited. I knew my decision was the right one because every time I thought about school, I came back to that visit and that campus and knew there was something that I was going to love there, even if I didn’t know what it was yet.

Fast forward to fall of freshman year. Move in day was fast paced and full of events, but seemingly exciting as the campus welcomed me with open arms for a brand new year. What I didn’t know was just how difficult it could be. The first semester was insanity. There were a lot of tears shed, friendships made and broken, some major accomplishments and some test failures. I was finding my place but that wasn’t the easiest feat. I didn’t know exactly where I belonged, I questioned if my school was the right place for me and even thought about transferring. Looking back on it now, it feels like a whirlwind to me. I’m glad I pushed through to second semester.

Second semester was one of the most eventful, exciting times of my life. I made more close friends than first semester, accomplished even more within my major and minor, connected on a deeper level with some of the best professors I’ve had the chance to learn from and I finally found my place.

Because I found my place in school, I had more confidence and it showed in my work. My grades were improving and I was the student I was in high school x10. I stopped caring what everybody thought and I actually got compliments on my improved attitude. People noticed. I began making more and closer friends because of these improvements. I excelled in the things I found a passion for like the school newspaper and other activities.

Finding my home was hard, but finding a place to call my own in my home was the most unimaginably difficult part. It’s been an important life lesson and a key role in my successes freshman year. I wouldn’t trade where I am for anything and I’m glad to have gone through the tumultuous semester I did because now I’m sure this is where I’m supposed to be.