When I was applying for college, I did not want to be in my home state. I wanted to get out, and get out ASAP. High school wasn’t that great for me, and middle school was even worse. I decided on a school where no one in my grade decided to go, and one that I believe no one from my high school has gone to (I could be very wrong, but I have not met or heard of anyone else that went to both my high school and the college I chose). I wanted to get away from all the trouble I had in the past and get a completely fresh start. It was a brand new atmosphere for me, but even if I went to a school near home, I know that it would not have been like my previous years of school.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s still stupid little drama every once in a while. You’ll fight with friends, deal with a jerk partner, and struggle in classes. But it’s completely different. You’ll fight with a roommate, since you’re living with a complete stranger for eight months of the year. You’ll fight with new friends that you have made, and you may make new friends after that. You’ll fight with a partner that isn’t even your partner; you may just be “talking” or they may be leading you on. Or, you’ll fight with your partner from home, because you’re apart in two completely different states, and you have no idea what they’re doing at their school. Although this may happen in high school, you’re more likely to witness this at college. The drama is a little stepped up, especially in freshman year. But it does get better.

Once you get past all of that drama, college really does get better. It sounds extremely clichéd, I know, but it’s true. In middle school, I got picked on relentlessly for stupid things like trying makeup for the first time, boys I liked, and drinking 2 percent milk (yeah, a boy asked “are you sure you should be drinking that?”). But in college, I don’t get bullied. I can do whatever I want with my face or my hair or my body, and people won’t care. People usually say something nice, or say nothing at all, and that is great. In college, you get to explore you who really are, and I think it’s the greatest thing. I know people who have come out while at school, people who try things that they never would have in high school, and people begin to let their true personality shine.

Your past experiences do not define the type of person you are. I’ve been bullied and hurt really badly in the past, but I am not a victim. Middle and high school are really crappy. It sucks, a lot. But college is a freeing experience. You make friends who you keep for life, experience things you may not ever get to experience otherwise, take on classes and leadership roles that teach and prepare you a lot for the future, and, most importantly, have fun. College is a completely different experience than middle and high school, so don’t even think about it while you’re there.