So it was your first year of college. You packed all of your bags and moved away from your hometown. All your friends were 60 miles away or were moving away to their own colleges. You had to learn to be on your own and stand independently at first without knowing anyone. Looking back on your first year, you see you’ve come a long way. You see that the first year was just the first chapter of the best years of your life. Overall, you have made it through your first year of college and have grown in independence and strength. Here are a few things you walk away with after completing your first year.

1. You’ve made new friends.

As if moving away from home did not seem scary enough, you’ve also seen how making new friends can help with adjusting to college. Yes, you still have friends from back home, but you have learned that college is a time for making new friends as well. You’ve learned to value your old friends as well as the new ones. These are the people who will be there with you during the coming years.

2. It’s OK to ask your mom to FaceTime so you can see your dog.

After the first few weeks of school, you began to miss your family. Especially, your four-legged best friend. They had to stay back in your hometown while you moved away. It was OK to call mom and FaceTime with her so you could see your dog.

3. Don’t be hard on yourself.

So your first year had it ups and downs. More ups than downs. It’s was only your first year. You learned to watch how disappointments turned into blessings. First semester may have been academically challenging at times, but it helped prepare you for the second semester. You made friends, gained sisters and actually had fun. Don’t be hard on yourself. You had to go through the adjustment time, to make it to the best time.

4. It’s OK to sometimes stay in and watch Netflix.

Sometimes after a stressful day, you needed time to rest. After spending all night studying for tests, you were just exhausted. It was OK to rest. It was OK that some nights you did not go out with friends. You sometimes needed a breather and a time to rest. This was a time to learn how to balance social and academic life on campus.

5. However, make time to still be social.

Life can be stressful at times, and sometimes all you needed was to make time to go out. Going out to eat with your friends was a great decision and stress reliever. The books were always there when you got back. You learned to manage your study time, but still made time to be social. You learned by getting involved with organizations, campus activities and working with other students; which, in turn, helped made your time more memorable.

6. Surround yourself with encouraging individuals.

Out of all the stress, sometimes all you needed to hear was encouraging words. You strive to surround yourself with people who lifted you up. You made friends who strive to be encouraging and who supported you. They were the sweetest souls you had ever met. They were to be your sisters and give you encouragement.

7. Believe in yourself.

I know there were times where you wanted to give up or time when you didn’t believe in yourself or your talent. Always believe in yourself. You were placed on this earth for a purpose. You have gone through different battles to help grow you as an individual. You have learned anytime you set goals you can achieve them if God wants you to. You have learned patience brings blessings and through it all, there is a perfect plan.

As you walk away from your first year, you have grown in faith, intellect and maturity. You have survived your first year, and you are excited to start your second year. Just remember, we are all human and we go through tough times. However in the end, through faithfulness, we see the better picture. We overcome the tough times to see the better times. Perseverance grows an everlasting trust in God to lead you to where he wants you to be.