My Semester in Review

Going into my first semester of college, especially during a pandemic, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew I was ready to move away and meet new people and try new things, but that fear of the unknown was always lingering in the back of my head. I remember hearing people say things like "the people you meet here could be your best friends or bridesmaids!" I felt all of this instant pressure, like every person I met could be an opportunity to make that lifelong best friend. But what I've realized now is with the people that turned out to be my best friends, I didn't really have to try at all. Most of them I had never talked to on social media, never had a class with, and didn't even belong to the same sorority as. I couldn't even tell you how we became so close or the exact night we met. It's kind of funny, the way people just come into your life like that. No warning, no effort, it just sort of...happens. And I think that's one of my favorite things about college—people just fall together and fall apart—no drama, no effort, that's just how it goes. And don't get me wrong, there were definitely nights that I felt alone, like I was stranded nine and a half hours away from home with no one to call my own, but—almost out of nowhere—I found so many amazing people that I'm lucky to call my friends.

There’s been a few times where people have asked me what my favorite memory so far is, and every time I have absolutely no idea what to say. I think that’s because there’s been so many good ones that I can’t really keep track. Every day is something special, and even if I’m just stuck in my dorm all day, I’m happy because I know that I’m where I belong. I remember one of my mutuals posting “if leaving your college for break doesn’t make you cry a little, you picked the wrong one.” And I know in my heart that I made the right choice. It almost hurts to think that I’m already 1/8 through my time at South Carolina, but I can’t wait to see what the future has in store. And for now, I’m just grateful to have found my home away from home.