If there is any one thing that I’ve learned during my time in college: it’s how to adapt to change. The entire 4 years (or however long you’re in school) is a season of many changes in a short period of time. It’s a major factor in the growth that completes your college years. Whether it’s learning to live on your own, developing your study habits, making new friends, or joining an organization, we all go through this period of changes. While it can be intimidating and nerve-racking to face impending adulthood, my college years have brought me unforgettable experiences.

Personally, my biggest change was becoming independent. I still have a bed at home, my parents still pay my phone bill, I still ask my mom to make my dentist appointments, but for 8 months out of the year, I’m not home very often. For the most part, I am fully responsible for myself. I work, I buy my own groceries, and I make things happen for myself. While this feeling of independence was such a foreign concept just 3 years ago, I’ve come to enjoy the feeling of maturity that comes with being able to do things on your own and for yourself. I’m sure most of my friends and classmates would agree.

It wasn’t easy to adapt to this change in my life. When I started school, I didn’t know anyone. I was so worried that I wouldn’t make friends or wouldn’t be successful. But by the second day of school, I met a group of people that I would spend all of Freshman year with. While I do not speak to all of them today, I’ve made some lifelong friends from that group, and every semester I meet new people, some who did not stick around long and some whom I hope will be around for a lifetime. It’s astonishing to look back and see how much has happened in only 3 years. I’ve made friends, lost friends, and maintained old friendships. I’ve loved hard and I’ve had my heart broken. Most of all, I’ve learned that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought I was.

But that’s why change is so scary: you never know what the result will be. I used to fear change, I preferred things the way they were. But I’ve come to realize that not only is it necessary, it builds character as well. I have several close friends who all have recently experienced the changes that come with being a college freshman, including my own sister. Witnessing people close to me go through the transition I dealt with not so long ago put it all in perspective for me. What felt so awkward and foreign, lead me to experience life. I became a leader on my campus through extracurricular activities and work, I developed and continue to learn new skills, and now, I get to see my sister and other loved ones go through this same process.

Is it always fun? No, of course not. It can be downright painful at times. To experience your first letter of rejection, to hear that you didn’t get the job, to have to work that dead shift just to make some extra cash, to lose a friend, to breakup with your high school sweetheart, to fail a class, to graduate later than expected. These are the moments that hurt, the moments that seem unbearable and make you feel broken or defeated. But we shouldn’t let these moments destroy us. On the contrary, we should use them to build better versions of ourselves. So, if you didn’t get the job, keep applying. If you’ve lost a friendship or relationship, take your time to heal, but get out there and love again. If the Freshman 15 hit you hard and it’s affecting your self-image, change your eating habits, get in shape, but learn to love yourself no matter what you look like first. It’s not going to be easy, but that’s okay: Life isn’t easy. A lot of moments will be hit or miss, don’t focus so much on the pain of a loss or failure. It’s okay to an L if you allow yourself to learn from it, grow, and help others avoid that same mistake.

Change is one of those aspects of life that you can’t avoid no matter how hard you try. Instead of fighting it, embrace it, learn from it. Let it make you a better version of yourself. Change can be exciting, fun, and fresh. It can show you who you are and what you are capable of. It won’t always be enjoyable, but it is necessary. No matter what regrets you may have, every change has made you who you are up to this point. I, myself, struggle with regret all the time. Things I wish I hadn’t said or done, things I wish I had said. I’m learning to accept the fact that certain changes in my life were necessary to bring me to where I am now. Yes, it hurts sometimes, but growing pains are part of life. Someday, I’ll see the fruit of that change and I’ll understand why things had to be that way. And if you embrace the change, instead of fighting it, you will also come to understand why it just had to happen.