Balancing those two worlds is a delicate enterprise. In the mad rush to figure out what I want to do with myself next year, finish multitudes of applications and write my thesis, I have struggled with the question of what college has taught me. It is not an easy question to answer. I have lost count of the experiences and people who have contributed to who I am and who I want to be. But as Parents' Weekend approaches, I am reminded of how much of who I've become has come from my family.
College is a time of great freedom.
We are away from our parents, living with thousands of our peers and making our own choices. No, I don't mean they don't care what goes on in my life, that they don't call every week or that they don't sometimes make me crazy with their concern for my wellbeing. They have remained an important part of my life in the last three years, but they have let me make my own decisions and mistakes. This has allowed me to grow with confidence in myself and my abilities. But, of course, nothing that means growing and changing is ever easy.