Everyone tells you “college will be the best four years of your life," “don’t ever graduate,” “it won’t get any better than that." I think that constantly having those phrases pounded into our minds creates this image of what college has to be like. We all have to love it right from the start, we have to have the time of our lives and if you ever want to go home then you’re doing it wrong. The college experience is not the same for everyone and there is nothing wrong with that. College can be a big adjustment and sometimes it takes a couple tries to get it right.

I started my freshman year off at a school that I pretty much hated. From the day I moved in, I had trouble adjusting and I couldn’t see that place becoming my new home. I missed my friends, I missed my family, and I felt completely alone. I did my best to branch out, try new things, meet new people, but no matter what I did I couldn’t be happy there. All of my friends from high school were in love with their new schools, everyone else was getting the college experience I wanted, and yet there I was taking a train back home every night because I hated college that much.

I thought that maybe college just wasn’t for me. I thought maybe I would be better off moving back home and commuting or even taking a year off. After finishing my first semester, I made the decision to transfer schools. I had finally found one where I felt like I fit in and where I could be happy. It was the best decision I could have made for myself. I got the experience I was looking for and now that I've graduated, I wish I could go back. Like I said, sometimes it takes a couple tries to get it right.

Transitioning into college is hard; some people make it look like a breeze but there is nothing wrong with not loving it right from the start. College isn’t for everyone. Some people can move far away from home and be completely happy and others are more comfortable living at home and going to a school close by. The important thing is your college experience is unique to you; don’t compare your experience with that of your friends because you’ll never be satisfied. There is nothing wrong with doing college the way that works best for you.

As a freshman it feels like the biggest deal in the world if you don’t love it, but the truth is after your freshman year it just doesn’t really matter. After the excitement has worn off, you won’t care how your experience looks to other people. Now that I just graduated, I wish I knew then what I know now. Go easy on yourself, if you’re having a hard time IT’S OK. Change isn’t easy but you aren’t the only one going through it, I can promise you that.