Don't let having a good, involved college experience pass you by

I have never been so excited to have such a tiny shower. Last night, as I was propping my leg up on my shampoo bottle just so I could shave, I realized that the one thing I complained about the most last year completely represents the life I love.

It’s true, I’m just a tad excited to be back in Oxford.

I didn’t have the luxury of spending the summer at Ole Miss taking summer classes. Instead, I spent every week day of my summer working for a newspaper in my hometown, and I spent my weekends convincing my parents that I wouldn’t get into any trouble if they let me go out. 

My school year freedom was sorely missed. That’s the best part about college: independence.

Every one of you knows exactly what I’m talking about, except the freshmen. Worry not, class of 2014, you will understand what I mean the first weekend you go home and have to report your whereabouts to Mom and Dad.

While at school, students do whatever they want. We go out on school nights. We see how long we can go to class before we are forced to buy the textbook. We don’t eat balanced meals. Still, we survive.

I absolutely love the fact that every day we are proving ourselves to the world. That’s what college is more than anything. Sure, we learn a lot in classes. Professors teach us subjects, but we are teaching ourselves life.

Just this first weekend back, I’ve rekindled old friendships, made new ones and partied with the best. You can’t teach how to form lifelong connections in a classroom. 

My first week of school freshman year did not go as well as expected, however. I hung out in my dorm by myself, with my roommate or with the one guy I knew from my high school. It was a lonely existence.

You can’t live your life scared to meet people. You can’t be frightened of relationships. Some friends will leave, some friends will hurt you, but if you never take a chance on something, you are left with nothing.

About halfway through my first semester, I made some more friends. I started to grow as a college student, and by second semester, I was in love with Ole Miss. 

Now that I am back, I can’t help but wonder why I stressed out so much about the little things last year. So what if my legs aren’t super smooth because there isn’t much light in the bathroom? What does it matter if I stay out until five in the morning on a Friday night? 

Living life day to day is half the fun of being on your own. Classes are great because they give you structure. In fact, that is one of the things I really missed while I was home. 

The friends you make in college will mold you to the person you are meant to become, not the classes you sign up for. It’s not the class; it’s the people you sit next to. Biology might help you grow as a doctor. English will definitely help you in the courtroom. Spanish is handy for when you are in Spain. But none of these classes teaches you “how to be.”

We push ourselves all the time as college students. We stay up late studying or partying. We get up early for classes. We drink more caffeine than is healthy for us. Still, that’s how we live; that’s how we grow. 

All I know is that this year is going to be awesome.