First Year Vibes: On Turning Nineteen

Anna-Catherine Kueng ~ Assistant Editor

In less than a week, I will be celebrating my nineteenth birthday. When I was younger, I often wondered what my sixteenth birthday would be like, or what it would be like to  turn the big eighteen-years-old; however, nineteen is kind of an age I overlooked. I did not think about how it would be my first birthday away from home, or that nineteen is my last year of being a teenager. Although I know I still have a lot to learn, I wanted to share nineteen things I have realized over the course of my life, and especially during my first year of college.

1. To quote my favorite singer, Brandon Flowers, “the world goes on around you, whether you like it or not.”
2. Just because you do not have much in common with someone, does not mean you cannot be friends.
3. The older I get, the more I admire and appreciate my mother.
4. Everyone is good at different things, so it is okay if you are not good at everything.
5. Find your worth and identity in something that cannot be taken away from you.
6. Contrary to what my eighth grade self once thought, there are worse things in life than public speaking.
7. If you do not enjoy the classes for your major, you are probably in the wrong major.
8. Have something you look forward to every day, like going to dinner with friends or going to the gym.
9. If certain friends or people constantly make you feel bad about yourself, forgive them but do not keep putting yourself at their mercy. You are worth too much to hang out with people who do not recognize your worth.
10. Listening to instrumental pop songs while studying is quite effective.
11. Saving money is not as important as making memories. I do not mean you should eat out with friends every weekend, but once in a while, it is okay to go to Cracker Barrel.
12. The only way to get better at driving is to keep doing it.
13. Different people will want you to be different things; decide what you want to be, and stick with it.
14. A good night’s sleep is a luxury that you will probably not get to experience many times in college.
15. You should not make judgements about someone’s hometown based on the news or the opinions of people who did not grow up there.
16. Getting a nice pair of slippers and/or fuzzy socks is life-changing.
17. Making decisions is hard, but you know deep down what is best for you.
18. “Amsterdam” by Imagine Dragon, “Yellow” by Coldplay, and “Home” by Edward Sharpe will always make me nostalgic.
19. Every year of life has beauty in it.