It's not.

Being torn from the familiar, everything you’ve ever known, not to mention all the people with whom you grew up is not an easy concept to grasp. One day you’re driving through your high school parking lot with the windows down and music blasting, and the next you're wedged between two strangers in a 600-person lecture hall.

It's not.

Walking from place to place with absolutely no sense of where you’re going is a scary task for many. While the iPhone has tools prepared for this, staring down at your phone screen instead of your surroundings will only get you so far.

It's not.

When Thursday night rolls around and your new friends are ready to go out and get funky, it’s a crippling decision to either prioritize social life or academic responsibilities. At the end of the day, your purpose of attending college is to get good grades and ultimately learn, but a little party never killed anybody...

It's not.

Speaking from experience, the stress surrounding exams can easily eat up your academic charisma, bit by bit. Managing your time is something that was previously planned out for you (for the most part) thanks to our modern education system, but in college, you are your own planner. Have a class at 11 A.M. and not again until 3 P.M.? What will you do with your time? Choose wisely, it slips away fast!

It’s not.

Above all, there are no moms in college (very few, if any). No one is there to coach you through the tough times the same way your parents once did. Although your friends can become your own personal cheerleaders, at the end of the day they have their own responsibilities as well.

I think you get it, it’s not a breeze. Not even close. However, it’s worth it.

For a year that started out as pretty rough, learning more things about myself throughout each month made me travel full circle. This was undoubtedly the weirdest year of my life. However, the friendships I made and the knowledge I gained made up for all the moments of discomfort I experienced during this transition.

So while freshman year most definitely is not a breeze, it’s worth it in the end. It’s the beginning of what I’ve been told is going to be an awesome four years. The school year as a whole was a mish-mosh of experiences that all ended up being for the best, so much so that I’m already excited for what’s to come next year.