I was so used to seeing my parents every single day that I thought this was going to be a huge change for me. Truth is, it really wasn't that bad. I feel like I transitioned right into college life as soon as I moved in.
I have always been a firm believer that everyone should be able to experience the college life. Everyone should be able to go away to school and have the best four years (or more) of their life. I honestly can't imagine what my life would be like if I wouldn't have decided to study at Purdue.
Senior year I was having a hard time deciding what school I wanted to go to. I was between Purdue, Ball State and University of Evansville. After visiting all three schools, doing some intense research, and talking to my parents, we decided that Purdue was the right school for me. Basically it was deciding between a big, medium and small school. I went to a small high school, and I knew that I wanted to experience something new. I wanted to be able to walk around and not know every single person. People say it's great to live in a small town because you know everyone, but I think that can also be a negative aspect about it.
When I graduated from high school, there was no looking back for me. Very few people from my school go on to attend big state colleges, and I'm so glad I was one of them. I know because of financial, academic and other issues people decide to stay at home or only go an hour away, and I am no one to tell someone that they went to the wrong school, but I can't help but hope that one day my school feeds more students to bigger schools.
And now here I am, almost four years later. The past three years have gone so fast that I don't even know where the time has gone. I have learned so much here though, and not just for my future career. I think I have become a better person. In high school, I held so many of my emotions in that it definitely was not healthy. I've learned to love myself for who I am, and to be proud of the person that I am becoming. I've learned to let go of the past and to live my life for myself and the people I care about. When I get older and have kids of my own, I want to be proud of the things I tell them. I don't want to feel like I didn't follow my dreams. I want to know that I did everything that I needed to do in order to become happy. One of my favorite quotes by Marilyn Monroe is where she says that "happiest girls are the prettiest girls", I couldn't agree more.
My advice to people in my high school? Live your life for YOU. I know it may sound selfish, but at the end of the day if you are not at peace with yourself, you won't be at peace with anyone else. Go away to school, meet new people, do something out of your comfort zone and let things go. If you don't move on, you will always be stuck in a small town and everything will stay the exact same.
College goes by so fast. I feel like it was forever ago when I graduated high school, but just yesterday when I started college. I'm going to make this year count. Senior year is not only my last year I will ever be in school, but a time when we realize how much things have change, how we are about to become "real" people, and how life will go on without us if we don't work hard to move forward.
I was looking through old pictures and thought I would post these.
From high school senior year to college senior year. Looking back I don't know what I was thinking, but that's part of growing up. Now I feel like if I go back to dark hair it's not me. I'm a completely new person, looks and everything. When I was in high school I was to scared to try new things and now I feel like I just do whatever I feel like doing. I'll show these to people and they don't believe it's me. Something happened that summer after I graduated and I became happier and then college definitely brought out the best in me.
This is a long one, but I feel like I had a lot to say. Here's to hoping life stays as wonderful as it is. Boiler up!
xoxo
