If I wanted to I could make a huge list of all the various information I have learned from my various classes, but that's only a small portion of what I have learned while being in college for the last year. I've learned more than just how to prepare financial statements or how to write a five-page research paper. I've learned life lessons that are going to stick with me longer than the information needed to pass my next test. College is more than learning skills to get you ready for your job it's also about providing you with the tools to handle your adult life.

The hardest thing for me when I first went to college is that for the first time in my life I was doing something by myself and I was 100 percent accountable for everything that happened. Living in a small town meant that if something happened at my school I could always bring my mom in to save the day. During my orientation at UCM, they told us that the time of relying on our parents was over, it was time to grow up and be accountable for our decisions and our bills. If they had a problem with us, they wouldn't tell our parents they would tell us and we were expected to respond in an adult manner.

Another thing I learned in college is you don't have to be perfect all the time. During high school, I had never gotten less than an A in any of my classes and all my classes were pretty dang easy, in my opinion. So when I went to college and actually had to start working my butt off, it was really hard. It was hard at first when I would get lower than As on my tests or assignments, but I soon learned that all you can do is do your best and when it's bad, just work on doing better. Oftentimes, if a professor sees you are trying to improve and you are working your butt off in that class, they will help you get a good grade in that class. You have to be willing to put in the work to succeed in your classes, though, if you never show up to class and never talk to your professor, don't expect them to make any exceptions to help you out.

At the very beginning of my college experience I felt like a girl and now, as I'm getting closer to the end, I feel like a woman ready to take on the world. Soon enough, I'll have my own apartment and I'll be paying all the bills, but I finally feel ready for that. If you would have asked me to be on my own a year ago I would have cried and never would have been able to handle it. College is more than just learning in your classes, it's about giving you the confidence to go out in the world and be a productive adult. If you can make it through 5 years of college, you most definitely can handle the struggles of the real world.