When we imagined going off to college, some of us realized the reality that was about to hit. We were about to hit some kind of adult responsibility, and some of us were not going to have parental supervision either. Others of us planned on “turning up” and making the college years all about partying. Some of us were nervous about the school work and concerned about not making good grades. Others were worried about who they would make friends with. If you lived on campus, you may have even worried about your roommate because you have heard horror stories about bad roommates. In all honesty, no one can really prepare for their college years, but I will say that my college years have changed me for the better.

When I was in high school, I was the kind of girl who stayed to herself. I never bothered anybody, and I was always concerned about my grades. I did have my little friend group, but we were never really that close. I was in my high school band, so I definitely learned a lot from being around those people. I went to a public high school, so there were a lot of diverse beliefs and religions among the student body, which provided the perfect opportunity to witness to the lost. In all honesty, I was not who I am now when I was in high school. College is a great way to earn a degree, but it is also a great way to discover who you are.

There are three things that college has brought out in me:

1. My personality.

When I first started college, I was still the same reclusive person I was when I was in high school. However, as I started to make friends and become a part of the social life on campus, my personality flourished. Apparently, I had a giant personality stuffed inside of me when I was in high school. I love to laugh, I love to joke around, I love to talk (and I mean . . . I like to talk a lot), I love to be a light for someone who is down, I love to be build others up, I love to bring joy to others, and I love to bring smiles to other people’s faces. There is nothing really to describe my personality because I don’t even know how to describe it. My personality has turned a complete 180⁰, but it all changed for the better.

2. My social life.

Like I said, I didn’t talk a lot to other people when I was in high school, but that has changed since starting college. I have always worked on campus, so that has helped me a lot because I have met several people and have developed friendships that way. Everyone needs to do their homework and study so that you can pass college, but I also think that you need to have some sort of social life in college too. I used to be the person to avoid conversation because I took school work way too seriously (which is never the way to go). However, I will talk to just about anyone now. I will literally chase you down so that I can talk to you and ask you how your day is going. Maybe not to that extent, but you get the picture. I’m a social butterfly, but I like it that way.

3. My openness with others.

I have learned to express myself openly with others. I used to be reserved about my own struggles and hurt. I never told anyone of what I was going through in my personal life. Now, I express myself openly. If people are open with one another, they are able to learn from other’s mistakes or learn from the struggles of others. This is what I wholeheartedly believe. If I am going through something, I will tell a friend what I am going through so that I can get it off my chest. It feels so much better to have someone there listening to me, and this is why I am open to others expressing their struggles with me as well. This is another thing that college has brought out in me. I’m not ashamed and scared to share what I am going through because there are other people going through similar things, and we can all learn from each other.

These are just three things out of the many things that college has brought out in me. I am thankful for the experiences and for the friends that I have developed while in college. College is full of memories that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I am so blessed for the friends that I have because college has been so much fun with them, and I couldn’t imagine doing life without them. If it hadn’t been for college, I would not be the same me that I am today.