First, let me start off by saying that I have officially become one of "those" people. I'm in college, and that’s all my life seems to consist of. All I can talk about, post about, even dream about is school.

Well, not necessarily the school work, but my life at school and everything going on in my college experience.

As cliché as it sounds, college has completely changed my life. Starting out, I was a terrified momma’s girl who packed up her entire life into boxes and headed to the other side of the state to start this incredible adventure and I wouldn’t change my story for the world.

Dear College,

As I write this, I sit in my childhood bedroom, where I grew up wishing for the day that I would one day be a "big girl" like my older sister and wouldn't be spending summers at home anymore (well joke's on me because I'm in summer school). I now sit here thinking about how different my life is now and how I actually cannot wait to go back to school, to the town we love, in a few short weeks. I'm thinking about how much my life has drastically changed in the past two years and trying to forget the fact that I'm about to start my junior year.

College, you've been my best friend and you've become a lot of my identity. When I run into people from my hometown or am bombarded with questions about my future, I reply with "Oh, I'm young, I'm still in college having fun and figuring life out." You let me rely on you for that crutch and I'm thankful.

You're making me grow up and forcing me to be responsible on my own. You took me in as a girl who barely knew how to wake up on her own and wasn't very independent, then helped me realize that no one, but I, can do things for me. You showed me the importance of "you get out what you put in." You've shown me the reality of consequences when you stay out too late at a party and miss your 8 a.m. quiz. You've shown me the importance of prioritizing why I really came to you in the first place.

You're giving me opportunities that I would have never had back home and you're giving me chances to make my time with you count for something.

You've given me the chance to meet people from all over the world and call some of those people my best friends. You’ve given me the people that have helped me so much when it comes to finding out who I am. You gave me the people that would fill in as family members, therapists, drinking buddies, you name it.

And oh, the memories. In the past two years, I have enough memories to fill 100 photo albums and enough stories to give countless wedding toasts, and I'm not even done yet. We still have a few more years and I've already made some of the best friends of my life. Keep em' coming.

You've given me a few wake up calls and endless life lessons. You've shown me reality. You let me fail--a couple of times--but you taught me that failure is inevitable and how you react to failure is what determines the kind of person you are.

You've shown me why I'm here. It may have taken changing my major twice, a breakdown in my advisor’s office and late night Google searches of career opportunities, but I think I'm really figuring it out. I'm finding out what I'm good at and I'm going with it.

To some people college is an excuse to get away from home and spend a few years partying and having fun. While I'll admit I'm doing a little of that, it's been a place that has truly shaped my character. There is nothing like ripping you away from the town you grew up in where you knew everyone, only to throw you into a place where you're alone and having to grow up within a couple of weeks. That’ll change a girl, let me tell ya. It is scary, overwhelming and everything between, but boy, is it fun.

You're letting me figure it out. Sometimes things are hard and tough decisions have to be made on occasion. Things don't always go in my favor and I don't always get my way. I mess up, in and out of the classroom, and I have to figure out how to fix it. I notice things on a daily basis that are changing about me. I make a better choice, do something differently or act a bit smarter. It's up to me to get what I want out of life and I'm figuring it all out. Slowly, of course, but surely.

You're continuing to show me who I am. I have changed so much since we started this adventure and I could not be more proud of my decision to come to you in the first place. I am a different person, a better person, a more determined and happier person. I know what I want and I'm not afraid to go after it. I'm not afraid of failing anymore, I'm not afraid of falling short or even being rejected. I'm confident in the person I've become and the person I will turn into.

So here's to you, College. Here's to letting me fail, laugh and cry. Here’s to always letting me discover who I am and who I have the power to be. Here's to changing my life in more ways than I can ever say and you're only half way done.

Sincerely,

The girl who is still trying to figure out how she can stay with you forever.