When I first got to college, I was an emotional disaster. I was all alone, but I didn’t think making friends was going to be too difficult. I was completely wrong. I spent the first week or so completely by myself, constantly crying, video-chatting my friends from back home, and having serious anxiety attacks. I didn’t want to go out or be social because I was afraid of being left alone with only my awkward personality. I counted down the seconds until I got to go home and be with my family again. I genuinely did not believe I would make it through the year, let alone the week.

As time passed and classes started up, everything slowly began to change. Although I still missed home more than I ever thought possible, I began to get too distracted with all the college work piling up. Yet, along the way, I was able to get close to some of the best people I will ever know. In the beginning, I didn’t think there was ever going to come a time when I wasn’t alone and people actually wanted to hang out with me. This idea was so difficult for me to grasp because I had so many amazing friends in high school. Now, my “college” friends are people I could not imagine life without and that’s the crazy part. Spending every single day with a group of people doesn’t really give you much of a choice. They are the reason I got through my first year of college. From the nervous breakdowns to thinking about how much I am going to miss them when we are apart for four months, things did change for the better.

I know that I can sometimes be annoying, cranky, and antisocial, but somehow they seemed to accept these flaws. I have no one else to thank for getting me through this school year than them. All the laughs and stupid moments are parts of my first year of college that I will never forget. From screaming at the TV when the Bachelor is on, to the most random food choices, to endless hours of "Greys Anatomy." Sure, there are times when I just want to be at home, in my own bed, and with my high school friends. Then, I take a second to think about how lucky I got to find such amazing people away from home. To my incredible roommate, to my crazy, funny friend who spends just about every second in my room, I can honestly say there are no other people I would want to spend almost every hour with in a completely new city.

I am writing this to tell the class of 2020 and beyond that it does get better. If you are struggling in the beginning like I did, don’t give up. Once you get busy, get involved, and find your friend group, you will be happy you stuck it out. There is no better feeling than having people you can come to, away from home. You will have those people to thank for getting you through the year and those people to be excited about making new memories with in the years to come.