The year is quickly coming to a close, and for me and many others, that means freshman year is coming to an end. Freshman year for anyone is a time to learn about yourself and the new situations that college puts you in.

The obvious assumption of college being nothing like high school is a reality. You are responsible for yourself, and there are no excuses. A huge shift comes during this time, and time management skills are questioned. No parents are here to tell you when to get your studying done, when to do your laundry or when to go to class.

David Wilson, an RMU freshman, said that he really loved this new experience. Wilson thought that the level of difficulty was harder than expected. Professors did not remind him of work, and he learned to rely on himself.

Wilson was really excited to speak about his first year here. He spoke about his nerves kicking in at first, but after getting to know the people around him and making friends, he had a fantastic time. The main point that he wanted to address was that it is vital to get involved.

“Don’t be afraid to join clubs, intramurals, talk to people and just have fun and not sit in your room all day,” Wilson said.

Freshman year is an interesting time where nobody knows anybody, but they can still be scared to get out and talk to people. It’s a must to go out and introduce yourself. Everyone is in this weird phase where they have no idea where any classes are, who anyone is and don’t know that you aren’t supposed to use the trays in the caf.

In my opinion, freshman year has been riveting. It’s hard to leave your high school years behind where you probably had classes with the same people since grade school. College life represents a growing experience, and those experiences can be just as important as the things you learn in your classes. Kaitlyn Nemeth, another freshman, appreciated taking that ride.

“A lot has changed since last year, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Nemeth said. “I think I’ve learned a lot since I have my own responsibilities. I like having my own freedom to make my own choices.”

There are a lot of things in college that can pull you in the wrong direction: parties, bad relationships, bad friends, and in the eight short months of freshman year, it was unbelievable how many of those things people got caught up in. It’s a fast-paced test of the “real world” and some people hit the bumps in the road with full force. Although many do get caught up in these things, Nemeth believes that as a freshman she had to learn to manage her time to do well in her classes since that’s the main reason she was here.

Three years from now, us freshman may not even speak to the friends we are with now. We all may be in completely different places, but a lot has been thrown at us in these times. It’s unlike any high school experience, and this year is just a trial run of what we have ahead of us in the many years to come.