Nine months ago, I packed up my room and my life to move 300 miles away and live with complete strangers. Every ounce of my being was scared of what the future was going to hold. How would I possibly survive with my family and friends? But now, nine months later a whole lot has changed. Everyone says that your first year of college is going to fly by. I didn’t believe them until now.

There is a week left until I move out of my beloved dorm room. This shoe box of a room that I share with my best friend has been my home and safe haven for the nine months. I couldn’t fathom living in a room so small with someone I barely knew and now this stranger is my sister. I’m truly unsure how I am supposed to fall asleep every night without our daily debrief. She can tell how my day is going just by the way my face looks when I enter the room and she somehow knows exactly where I my shoes and sweatshirt are hidden under our piles of clothes. This once stranger is now my partner in crime and three months without her attached at my hip are going to be impossible.

The friends I have made this past year are the friends I will keep for a lifetime, the kind of friends that will do just about anything for me. Who knew I would meet people who live 15 minutes away from me and 8 hours away from me, and all the same would become my best friends. The endless 3 a.m. dance parties, laughs and sleepovers just scratch the surface of our memories. The field trips to Walmart, McDonald’s and Taco Bell will always be an adventure. Tito’s our pet fish, who lived the ultimate college fish experience, will go down as the BEST pet in history. There is never a day with my best friends that is dull. Whether it be chasing down the snack cart at 1 a.m. in the library or getting ready with 15 girls in our tiny dorm on a Saturday night rushing to catch the bus, every minute with my best friends is a moment I will cherish.

Learning to be on my own was an experience all in itself. I will admit, just like every other 18-year-old mini adult, I still call my parents every time I need something but living 300 miles away I had to figure some things out on my own. But, don't let me fool you, I have to give credit to my parent's for getting me to the point where I am today. Without them, I would've crashed and burned quite a few times this year. Leaving all my laundry for Sunday when the laundry room is and always will be full was something I never quite learned to overcome. Remembering to eat meals at normal hours and not just 1 a.m. French fries and mozzarella sticks is also something I haven’t quite learned. But I will tell you, I have learned that sometimes you have to be you own cheer leader. When you don’t have mommy and daddy constantly over your shoulder congratulating you and pushing you to do your homework and clean your room, you have to learn to encourage yourself. I have learned that I can do anything I put my mind no matter how hard the task may seem.

So, when my mom asked how I would rate my freshman year on a scale of 1 to 10 my answer came easily. 10, 10, 10. I wouldn’t trade this year for anything. The friends and memories I have made will last a lifetime. I can’t wait to see what the next three years hold!