When I came to Iowa State, I pretty much knew absolutely no one. I was thrown into a huge university, without any idea who or what I wanted to be, which is honestly both terrifying and exciting. Luckily, 3 weeks into school I met my boyfriend and his INCREDIBLE group of friends who welcomed me and took me under their wing, as they were all a year older than me. Since then, they have grown to be some of my best friends and people that I look up to immensely.

As we rapidly approach graduation, where all of them will be walking across the stage towards their futures, I find myself reflecting on my past few years, as well as theirs. Everyone has grown so much, and learned so much and it's amazing what a college experience will teach you. I asked some graduating seniors their biggest lesson that they have learned while in their 4 years here, here's what they had to say.

"The nostalgia that you feel when everyone gets back to start fall semester, while it's still warm out, you haven't seen your friends in a long time, and everyone is just excited to reunite, embrace that. The first couple weekends are always the craziest and most memorable."

"Surrounding yourself with the right people can make all of the difference when it comes to creating a valuable experience. The right people can make college ten times better."

"I've learned that there is value and potential to call anywhere home. No matter how far or out of your comfort zone it is, everything has potential to add substance to your life. With that, I've also developed a better judgment of character and the ability to know what fits in my life and what doesn't following my diverse college experience."

"As you sign up for classes, look for classes that you find interesting and that will benefit to your future and your career. Don't take electives because they are easy and will give you an easy A. Challenge yourself to find your passions in the classroom."

"The most valuable thing I can take from my whole college experience is the lifelong friends I have made. I used to think in high school that I had the greatest friends, but boy was I wrong. Not only did I find a group of girls that will always support me, care for me, and encourage me, I found a whole group of guys that would do the same and I think that is rare. I cannot even begin to express the gratitude I feel towards these amazing people. I've never laughed so hard or had more fun than when I'm with each and every one of them. The reason these last 4 years have been the best years of my life is all because of them. I already know many many tears will be shed the day we all leave here."

"The most valuable thing I took from college was lifelong friends. Friends that I can laugh with, cry with, heinously drink with, encourage, challenge, and love. Friends so good I didn't even notice I broke my thumb till 9 days later."

"Taking school seriously is really important, but networking and experiencing real-world situations is way more valuable. Don't be afraid, talk to people, and get out of your comfort zone."

"Be present" in absolutely everything you do. Too many college kids fall into autopilot and just 'go through the motions.' College is a time to explore, learn about yourself, try new things, make mistakes and learn from them. CHALLENGE yourself, especially outside of the classroom, and make efforts to meet new people, even people who you may never have seen yourself socializing with. Overall, college is your time to have fun and grow - none of my favorite memories or lessons from college stemmed from a classroom, they all came from being present in my outside experiences... so APPLY yourself and be PRESENT and you'll be surprised how much pride, reward, and value will follow."

- Grease Rats