Life Lesson Number Ten: Time Flies When You're Having Fun

It felt like yesterday; I was standing in my driveway saying goodbye to all my best friends, family and neighbors. The truth is I cried all the way to Happy Valley, not because I didn't want to go to college. I sobbed due to the fact that my friends and family were not coming with me.  Flash forward to the present day of April 14, 2016 and in three weeks I will have one year of college under my belt and it flew by.

This year I learned more about myself than I did in my previous eighteen years.  First, college courses are rigorous and in order to succeed academically I would need to study for more than an hour.  In addition, reading the syllabus carefully and not waiting to the last minute to complete the assignment would only help my grades in the long run.  My hometown was the greatest place that anyone could ever inhabit.  New Jersey's pizza and bagels were far greater than Pennsylvania's ( sorry).  Sleep was essential for my well being and a daily nap had to be fit into my schedule in order to survive.  Avoiding the Freshmen Fifteen could be done, after all the view from the track as well as the treadmills in the IM Building which was right near my dorm never got old.  I also never realized how amazing my parents were until I got to college.  They had always been my best friends, it just took me a while to realize it.  Who would of thought that laundry would be such a hassle.  Until this year I never really appreciated the time and effort my Mom put into doing my wash every week at home, thanks Mom!  Not only my parents, but my best friends from home were always texting and face- timing me everyday which made me feel as if they were on this journey with me.

 I'll admit that in the beginning being away from home was very difficult for me.  With all my best friends in New Jersey, the thought of transferring popped into my mind many times. There were days when I wanted to be at college with my best friends.  Days when I wanted to watch my brother become one of the best volleyball players in the state, go to my favorite pizzeria every Friday with my parents, and cuddle with my dog at night.  In January, after a winter break and having one semester of college under my belt, it all finally hit me. Throughout the fall semester, I had visited my friend's colleges and none compared to mine.  I realized that I was at one of the best universities in the country and that this was my life now.  For the first time, I knew that there was no more going back to high school and I was okay with that.  Finally, I figured out that I was here for a reason and in the next four years I would be getting an education from an amazing school, that some people only dream of.  Ready or not, it was time to grow up!

So thanks Penn State for helping me grow up and realize that my parents are not going to be there to guide me and make decisions for me every step of the way.  Thank you for helping me realize that I  am  decently smart and do belong here with all these incredibly bright people. Thanks, for giving me a heck of a social life and always having something to do on the weekends.  Thank you for introducing me to some of the most amazing people that I'm grateful to spend the next three years with.  Thanks for letting me get involved in the most incredible event that I will ever be a part of in my entire life, Thon. Thanks for showing me that anyone can make a big school feel small.  Thanks for the football games, Creamery ice cream, pookie sticks, stacks section of the library, all the fitness classes, the shopping and restaurants downtown.  Thanks for admitting me a year ago and lastly thank you for making me realize that after visiting 23 colleges and universities, this one was most definitely the one for me!  Its safe to say this year has flew; its been a blast and the best is yet to come.