1. It's hard. College is hard. The workload is hard, being on your own is hard, living with 20 other people is hard. It's hard, but its worth it. I have made the best of friends since being here, and I have grown closer to God by relying on Him to get me through the tough days. The workload is stressful, but always doable, and you can lean on your dorm-mates to encourage you when you feel overwhelmed in homework. Even though it's hard, college is a beautiful adventure.
2. Be silly. Seriously, though. Don't take life too seriously. There is a time to be serious and a time to have fun. Go outside and play frisbee with your friends. Go stargazing. Walk around campus barefoot. Play random games of floor is lava. Build a blanket fort in the dorm lobby. Refer to everything having to do with your dorm beginning with sw- (Okay, maybe that's just my dorm. But for real: Swabby, sward, Swall Council... the list is endless.) But really, college is a great time to enjoy life, and enjoy the company you have.
3. Always walk on the outside of the sidewalk. This mostly only concerns me, and the fact that I got run over by a bike the first day of classes in the fall. So, incoming freshman, all the advice you need is to stay on the edge of the sidewalk.
4. Compromise is key. You absolutely will not always agree with your roommate, and that's why you have to learn that the best way to resolve roommate conflict is to talk it out. Hear each other out, and see where you both see eye-to-eye, and where you don't. Find common ground, and go from there. For your roommate life to be the best it can be, you have to learn to compromise, but above everything, love each other unconditionally.
5. God is good. So, I already knew this one, but, wow, have I been reassured of it over and over again. God made it possible for me to come to Taylor in the first place, and has provided me with supportive parents, beautiful new sisters, a fun-loving dorm, and a year to reflect back on and thank Him for.
This year has been a great one, and as I reflect back on that first day, when my face was tear-stained as my family travelled back home, I think of how terrified I was, and how big the campus felt. I now feel at home here, and I am sad to see the changes that will be next year, as my roommates and I go our separate ways, new beginnings and friends graduating, but I eagerly await the greatness that will come in the next 3 years. So, goodbye Freshman year, you have been good to me.
Megan
