Many of my friends graduated high school the weekend before last, and on May 27, it was the one year "anniversary" of my own graduation of high school.
It got me thinking about everything that has happened since then - my first summer working full-time, moving across the country, adjusting to college, making new friends, making mistake after mistake, making wonderful memories, working hard, taking classes, finding meaning, asking questions, surviving, learning how to study, traveling, learning new skills, working many jobs, changing majors/adding minors, and finding myself while simultaneously losing myself.
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This year has been a beautiful struggle. And to all of you who have just graduated high school, welcome to the club.
Entering college life after high school isn't the picture your parents, teachers, and even yourself make it out to be.
I had this euphoric view of college before I got here, riding on the comments of people talking about how many adventures I would have, or how it would be the "best four years of my life".
While this has been a wonderful year and I have learned so much from it, it is no utopia.
1. You will learn how to study.
In high school, I studied for maybe an hour before a test - and graduated with a great GPA. College? My GPA isn't as great as I would like it to be, and I spend hours and hours and hours studying before a test. Don't worry though, because it gets easier as you go along. You learn what works and what doesn't.
2. You will learn how to be away from home and how to be okay with it.
Not going to lie, the first little while of being away from home is the hardest, and then it gets to be okay.
3. You will learn freedom and independence.
This is arguably one of the best parts of college. There is nothing more empowering than being able to be on your own and become the person you want to be.
4. This freedom and independence will teach you to ask more questions about life.
You will meet plenty of people and have plenty of experiences that will make you question absolutely everything you know to be true. The beauty of that is that now that you are more free, you are able to answer those questions for yourself. And it changes you.
5. Asking questions and finding answers for yourself will help you find things you are truly passionate about.
A big deal on my campus is the issue of feminism - something that was never talked about in high school, and by asking questions, I have discovered that though there are some feminist approaches I don't agree with, I am really passionate about equal global rights for women. Find something you are passionate by asking questions.
6. You will learn that changing your major, your minor, or your goals isn't a bad thing.
I started out Biology/Pre-PA, switched to Psychology/Pre-PA, dropped Pre-PA and added a drama minor, switched to English major, and now find myself studying English and Drama while getting my certification in Secondary Education - so VERY different from where I started. And that's not a bad thing! I didn't switch out of a science major because I couldn't do it, but simply because it was not my passion. I started out liking the idea of making a lot of money - but very quickly you will learn that money is not everything.
7. Similarly, you will learn that not knowing where you are going is simply part of the journey, and that it's okay.
There are some days that I question what I'm doing with my life. It is so hard to have a future that is uncertain, but getting lost at times is just a part of the path to success. Nobody has it together.
8. You will learn that it's okay to fail sometimes.
I won't ever forget getting my first C. Getting my first D grade. These were grades I never got in high school, and it was very difficult to have worked so hard to get a bad grade, especially when you aren't used to getting C's and D's. This will only push you to get better and work harder.
9. You will learn to make new friends.
Making new friends is hard, but it is a wonderful experience that grows you more than you might realize!
10. And in making new friends, you will also learn which friends are toxic in your life.
You might also make mistakes in making friends. Actually - you will DEFINITELY make mistakes in which friendships you choose to foster. These will only be growing life lessons for you.
11. And in doing that, you will learn who your real friends are.
12. You will learn that your high school friends can drift away, but there will be several who stick by you - and those friendships will last forever.
To the two friends from high school who I have talked to constantly throughout my freshman year of college - even from thousands of miles away - thank you. You are a blessing.
13. You might experience the joy of falling in love.
There is no greater joy than falling in love, and it becomes duly easier when you are away from home and your parents - and you experience this all on your own.
14. You will experience the joy of being able to live with all your friends.
In talking to many college seniors, I have found that what they all say they will perhaps miss the most is living in close proximity with all their friends. It truly is quite wonderful - a community of people living all together with different worldviews and ideas, and a whole lot of friendship.
15. You will make mistakes upon mistakes.
I can't say this enough. You will come to college with the notion that you know exactly what you want out of your experience - and I can assure you that life will hand you opposite circumstances, and you might make choices that are not the wisest.
Don't be discouraged by this, but allow the plethora of mistakes you will make to make you stronger. Make you better.
16. You will learn new skills and find new things that you love.
I would never have known when I came here that I would fall in love with acting and drama. I took an Acting elective fall quarter, and knew that it was for me. (Not instantaneously mind you, but I figured it out). I also never would have known that I love media broadcasting! One day I decided to go to an audition to be an announcer at Positive Life Radio, and getting that position has so thoroughly enriched my life.
I can't even begin to tell you how many things you will discover about yourself that you did not expect.
17. You will learn to figure out what is important to you aside from your parents taught you.
You are grounded in the roots that your parents gave you (whether you will admit it or not). As you venture out into the world, you will discover what they were right about, and perhaps some things you want to do different in your own life. That doesn't make you rebellious or disobedient per se - every generation is different. Different ideas, different values, different (to an extent) morals. Times are changing - and chances are that this will show between the difference between you and your parents.
18. You will appreciate home SO much.
This place that you once called and forever will will call home suddenly becomes so important to you -- especially when you go away. You will miss you parents, you will miss your siblings, you will miss your pets.
You will also miss the little things about home like your mom's cooking, your dad's loud music, the simple luxury of not having to wear flip flops in the shower, and even the annoying things about your family and home life.
You'll miss it all - and that doesn't change. You will just get more used to missing it as time goes by, and be more comfortable being away from school.
19. You will occasionally miss high school - (even though every college student will deny that they do).
There are a few times where I must admit, I miss high school things such as Spirit Week, my high school friends and teachers, prom and etc., and I'm sure this will happen to you as well.
Overall though, you will come to appreciate college as an incredible experience in comparison to high school - and you will learn SO MUCH this year.
20. Most of all, you will experience everything:
You will experience exuberant happy moments. You will experience deep sadness and pain. You will meet people who resonate deeply with your soul. It will be the best and worst experience of your life. Make the most of it, and don't resist the way that college changes you. It's part of moving on to the next stage of life.
