A couple weeks ago, I was going through old pictures and went all the way back to 2015 which was my freshman year of college. It took me a minute to process that 2015 was five years ago. I so clearly remember my first day of college classes and throughout college always thinking about myself at the age I am now. I remember thinking back then that I just had to get through four years of school (maybe more) and then the hard part would be over and things would be settled and "figured out." College were some of the best years for me, and I think I did a lot of growing up throughout those years. I thought it would be fun to go back down memory lane a bit, and laugh at some old pics circa 2015-2019. Without further adieu, please enjoy this picture of me my first day of classes freshman year lol.
Don't be afraid to do your own thing
This is kind of broad, but something that I really struggled with especially in the beginning of college. I remember feeling so much pressure (self-induced) to do things that you're "supposed" to do in college. I have never been a person who enjoys drinking or partying, but I felt completely out of place not doing these things once college started. I remember getting so down on myself and feeling like I didn't fit in because those weren't things that I had a lot of fun doing. I actually went home the majority of weekends to spend time with my family and work. It took so long for me to finally accept that it was okay that certain aspects of the "typical college experience" just weren't my thing. This was a difficult lesson for me to learn, but something that I've found applicable in my life since that time. It's okay to do what makes you happy and what you enjoy, even if you feel like you're the odd one out. The sooner you are confident in your decisions, the better.
Invest in relationships that are important to you
Anthony and I went to college together and can say without any hesitation that he was my rock throughout the ups and downs of college. I think it's a common theme that couples break up before going to college or somewhere during college, which I think totally makes sense for some people. For me personally, going through college with my best friend there was one of the best aspects of my personal experience in school. We both grew up a lot as individuals, but also grew so much as a couple. We spent nearly every day together, and I wouldn't trade that for the world. I think in college it is very important to meet new people and branch out, but for me there was literally nothing better than just the two of us eating mozzarella sticks at two in the morning and watching The Office. He was the person that calmed me down after getting a 30% on every chemistry test I ever took, and the one who I laughed until I cried with just goofing off together. All of this to say, invest in the people that matter to you. Yes, it's important to branch out in college, but I never forgot (and never want to forget) that I had a good thing in front of me.
It's okay to change your mind
I made a decision early on college that I was going to be a PA, and I didn't care what it took to get there. I started taking all the prerequisite classes to get into PA school and spent my entire winter break freshman year in a class to become an LNA so I could have enough patient contact hours before I graduated. This plan was great in theory until I finally allowed myself to realize that I had arbitrarily chosen a career path that I thought sounded good, and would look good to other people, but it really wasn't my thing. This was a major reality check for me, and it was hard to acknowledge that I was pursuing something for all of the wrong reasons. Even worse than that, I kept going with this plan because I felt like a failure for changing my mind and accepting that I didn't have the slightest clue what I wanted to do with my life. It's so difficult to expect an eighteen year old to have a good understanding of what they want to do as a career. I had to lean in to the fact that I was lost, but that was okay. I think this is important at any stage in life because so often, we're hellbent on proving ourselves to others. I've found the best thing you can do is be honest with yourself. It's okay to change your course, that's what life is all about.
Social media isn't reality
This is one that was a major eye opener for me once I finally could wrap my head around the concept. I would get so caught up and insecure because I spent so much time comparing my own life to everyone else's. It was the most freeing thing when I finally started thinking about it this way: are you posting about all the bad parts of life on social media for everyone to see? Of course not. Social media is this weird thing where we all know it's not 100% representative of our actual lives, but we're so quick to get down on our actual lives based on someone's online presence. Don't get me wrong, I think social media is a really cool thing, but it's not everything. It's 100% not worth your time or energy to do the comparison thing, and when you feel yourself going down a rabbit hole on the explore page, give yourself a reality check.
Friendships ebb and flow
This has been something that I've had a hard time learning, but I think it's really important. I've always had a small circle of friends, and I always felt scared to ever drift away from my friends. I really had to learn that everyone is going through so much on a personal level and every friendship isn't always going to be talking every day and hanging out every weekend, but that's okay! I realized that I was doing a poor job putting enough effort into my friendships, but was expecting a lot of effort in return. I'm a firm believer that sometimes even close friendships can start to fade, but you can always get back to a good place. Pick up the phone and reach out to people because close friends are so important. Your friendships may evolve as the years go by, but always try your best to remind your friends that you're there and that you care about them.