College Lessons: Alone

            There are a lot of things that you learn during your college years. Other than the lessons that you learn in the classroom to obtain a GPA, there are several key lessons that help you throughout your life.

            One of the most important things I learned was how to be by myself. I know this sounds really simple, but it’s one of the most difficult lessons to learn. It’s easy to be happy when you’re surrounded by your friends or you’re with your significant other. Sometimes the most difficult thing is to be happy when you’re all alone.

            I've never been the kind of girl who always had to have a boyfriend. That’s just not my personality. The one thing I've always relied on, however, are my friends. This reliance is tested during your college years. You learn who your true pre-college friends are because they will always be there for you even if you’re separated by hundreds of miles.

            Those friends that you meet in college are easy to bond with and hang out with while you’re right down the hall or the street from each other. However, once winter or summer break hits, the two of you can be states apart.

            If, like me, you don’t really have any friends in your hometown after a year of college, you've hit a dead end. You can’t very well take road trips every week to be with your friends, and sometimes phone calls just can’t cut it. Thankfully, I've learned how to not go completely crazy while I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere at least three hours away from my best friends.

            If you get cabin fever by being all by yourself, find a new television show to watch. Nothing distracts you better than getting sucked into someone else’s dramatic life. Currently, I’m obsessed with Gossip Girl and it’s getting me through this winter break.

            Start a new hobby. Write, paint, craft…whatever floats your boat. Do something that you’re passionate about. After all, you have no schoolwork to worry about and you have all the free time in the world.

            Also, you can do what I do…I work as many hours as I possibly can. Not only does this mean that I’ll have more money to go to movies or buy amazing $5 DVDs at Wal-Mart, but it also means that I don’t just sit at home every single day with nothing to do.

            Don’t just dig yourself a hole for the next few weeks until you get back to your college campus. Call, text, or get in contact with your friends somehow. Being a social recluse isn't beneficial.