With the fall semester right around the corner, I have been reflecting on my past school year as it was my first year away from home. Whether one goes away as a freshman or as a transfer student, every college student learns many lessons while dorming. Since dorming is usually a student's first experience away from the comfort of family, the experience can not only be exciting, but terrifying. Here’s what I learned in my adventures:

I am very appreciative of having gone to community college.Senior year I dreaded the question of “Where are you going to school next year?” When my answer was community college, their reactions were usually negative because of what they heard about it. I recall one boy in particular that would make it sound like a joke that I was going to community college. (In my second semester there, I saw him in the college library waiting for his next class because as a freshman he was not ready to be on his own in a four-year school just like I was). At 17 years old, I had no idea what I wanted to major in and I wasn’t ready to be on my own just yet, so I figured I would take the two years to complete my GE requirements at community college and by the time I finished I would have an idea for my future. That’s exactly what I did. By taking science and math, I realized that I hated those subjects and got all A’s in my English courses. If I hadn't gone to community college, I would still be commuting to a four-year school. I would’ve missed out on so many experiences, opportunities, and people whom I have come to greatly appreciate now that I’ve went away to school.

The people who become your best friends will become family. People always say that college friends are friends for life and I always brushed it off thinking it wasn’t true, but it is. The friends I have made in college are truly going to be my friends for the rest of my life. I have no idea where we would be without our group chat, family dinners, homework parties, and the nights where everything that possibly could have gone wrong, went wrong. (Never forgetting to stop for pizza on the way home). The adventures we have had together will definitely be stories to tell the grandkids. Even though we have lost some people along the way, I wouldn’t trade the ones who have stuck by for anything. May next year be as good as this one has been.

Some roommates aren’t meant to be your friends and some friends aren’t meant to be your roommates.My first semester I was placed with two random roommates. I tried to be friends with both girls, but it turns out that one of them was not interested in being my friend at all. At first I was sort of hurt by that and I figured that everyone would want to be friends with as many people as possible when they first got to college, like I tried to do. I now realize that not everyone is going to want to be my friend and that’s okay. In my spring semester, I decided to room with a friend I met on campus and it didn’t work out. Just like when people say not to work with a friend, I realize this sometimes goes for friends rooming together as well. When people live together, it is way different than seeing that person for a few hours a day and then being able to go home. It didn’t work out, and that’s okay too.

Manage your time wisely.When I first got to school the biggest adjustment was figuring out how to juggle school work, a social life, and sleep while being away from family. When commuting to school, I was able to go home every single night. At home I didn’t have any distractions like I do while dorming. My friends all like to do homework together, but as an English major I can’t do that all the time. I have a lot to read and I learned the hard way that I cannot possibly comprehend what I’m reading while being social at the same time. I know now that my work gets done better when I am alone with no distractions which means I do miss out sometimes, but I’m going to be way happier with my GPA when the semester ends.

College goes by fast. I know this sounds cliché, but I feel like I just moved for the first time last week. My dorming experience has allowed me to mature faster than I ever would have if I stayed home for school for all four years. As much as I am enjoying my summer at home I’m very excited to go back to school and have the opportunity to grow even more.