Another winter break has flown by, and I cannot believe that spring semester starts for those at Minnesota State University Moorhead. It feels like just last week I was taking finals, ugh. This spring semester, 2017, will be my last semester of my undergrad. In a little over four months, I will graduate and take the next steps into adulthood. Until then, here are some of my thoughts about college.

Time Flies

At the time, it feels like forever until the next month, next semester, even next year. I always found it extremely hard to get up in the morning for class when I knew it was dark and freezing outside! Looking back now, I cannot believe how fast this whole experience has been. People were right when they said cherish those years because they are going to fly by.

According to Plan

Stay organized - that is all I can say! Make a schedule for yourself and stick to it! College is full of scrambling, cramming, poor diets, and lack of sleep. If you do organize yourself, you will have time to get everything done, eat healthy, and get enough sleep to function properly. Yes, there are days when chaos reeks havoc on your life and everything around you, but I'm a firm believer that you have to be a little crazy to do what you do every day! So own it!

Take a Chance

Join clubs, take a dance class and go to the gym, eat by yourself or with new friends, save money and go on vacation, apply for a job you don't think you're qualified for, read often, try out a new recipe, ask someone to coffee, binge-watch Netflix, and do not be afraid to ask for help! So many people around you are going through the same scenarios, so you might as well live a little.

Be Kind

I think too many people waste their time being "meh" to others. Being kind, or just smiling at someone you walk by, may make a world of a difference to that person's day. You never know what someone is going through, and being kind could improve your happiness along with others.

Just Like The Movies

College is nothing like the movies you watch. All those films display is college students having fun, partying, getting coffee, and hanging out with friends on the quad. I have never seen a "college" movie that shows students spending hours upon hours in the library, stressing out, having mental breakdowns, cooking meals, going to the gym, losing their minds, reading textbooks, or doing any homework in general.

I have also never seen a movie that shows students who work full-time, along with talking a heavy credit load. Those people are the real MVPs. Someone please tell me where I can find a movie like this? When I first came to college, I knew I would be doing a lot of work, but I also thought I would have more free-time to have fun with all the new people I met. I was wrong. I'm sure some people do have experiences like they show in movies like Animal House or Pitch Perfect, but that never happened to me, and I'm also 100% okay with that.

All in all, I have enjoyed my college experience thus far. I've met some great people who I get the opportunity to call friends. I've fallen in love with the most amazing guy who supports me and goes on this adventure called life with me. I have learned so much that I feel like my head is going to explode, and I'm not even done learning yet (even more mind-blowing)! Plus, college is only the beginning. There is so much more than we have to offer to achieve greatness, and it all starts today!

Good luck all you awesome nerds!