As finals are quickly approaching, I look back on the year and can't help but smile thinking that I've almost made it through my first year of college. This is the time in my life I always imagined and couldn't wait to get to, but a lot of things turned out differently than expected. As a freshman in college, I've learned a lot. Like how to be less afraid when talking in front of people, math I'll probably never use, and how to write an eight-page paper at three in the morning. But the most important things I have learned this year were not taught in a classroom.

First of all, it is completely okay to not know what you want to do with your life! College is all about figuring out what you like or don't like and trying new things. If you decide you don't like what you're majoring in, then do not be afraid to switch majors once, or even a few times. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that, because if you are doing something you really don't like then odds are you are not doing it to your full potential. So if you're still a little clueless as to what you would like to do with your life, it is perfectly fine to try out new things until you find your calling.

Making new friends is not as hard as it appears to be. When you go to college, everyone is pretty much in the same boat and knows little to no people they are now going to school with. I know making new friends isn't always the easiest thing to do (trust me, I am the most awkward person alive and I hate talking to people I don't know), but at college EVERYONE is nervous and just wants to find someone they can talk to. Talk to people in your classes, join a club, do a sport, go to events at and near your school, and you definitely will be able to make friends with similar interests as you.

The most important thing I learned this year was that I take everything and everyone at home for granted. I knew that I would miss my family and friends but I didn't know how much I would, and how that would effect me. When you're away at school you figure out pretty quickly how much you miss homemade meals, because honestly, most college food sucks! You'll miss being able to drive wherever you want, and actually knowing where fun places are where you live. But every time you go home you will really appreciate everyone you spend time with and everything you get to do while you're there.

Being away at school really teaches you things you never thought you'd learn in college. You really figure out what you like and who you are, even if that means completely changing your mind a couple of times. You find out that making a bunch of new friends is nowhere near as hard as you thought it would be. And finally, you learn how much you truly love your family, friends, and home.