People say a lot can happen in a year. I say a lot can happen in nine short months. Applying to different colleges, I was a scared, confused girl who had no idea who she was or what she wanted from life. Today, I'm still scared, but less confused and have a clearer sense of who I am and what I want to achieve in life, and it's all because of college. My first year at college has helped me in my journey to find myself and this is how.

Anyone who knew me before college knows I was a quiet, shy and passive person who never stood out. I let people step all over me and take me for granted. I never spoke my mind in fear of being criticized. I always tried to please people, even if that meant me being unhappy with it. Anyone who knows me today knows I'm a very outspoken person and will speak the truth if it needs to be said. I no longer crumble under the pressure of trying to please everyone, because I now know that is an impossible and tiring job. Someone once told me you have to be selfish once and a while and make decisions that will benefit you rather than worrying about everyone else. If you don't, then you'll spend your entire life hopelessly trying to please others and finding yourself miserable because you have failed and your life has passed you by so fast. Those words were the pushing point for me to come to college.

One thing about college that I learned quickly is that it forces you out of your comfort zone. Now, being someone who cannot speak to people to save their own life, I feared this aspect of college. I figured I would just stay to myself to avoid speaking to people. Boy was I wrong. The very first week here, I was forced to talk to people, which was quite uncomfortable for an introvert like me. I look back on that, and I'm glad it happened, because the person I was forced to talk to became a really good friend of mine, even to this day. If being forced to talk to people doesn't make you come out of your comfort zone, then rooming with a complete stranger will. I luckily got the best roommate out there, so it wasn't long before we were comfortable with one another. Living with someone, trying to meet new people, the experiences I've had and even the classes I've taken all changed me and made me step outside of my comfort zone.

It's remarkable how much someone can change in so little time. I never would have thought that I would be the person I am today, and I owe it all to college. All I know is that I cannot wait for next year.