By the time you are a junior in college, one thing is for sure –– you have matured a lot since freshman year. As your time as a college student gets shorter (and life gets more real), sometimes you can’t help but reflect back on everything you have experienced thus far. Read below for the life lessons you’ll definitely learn by the time you’re a junior.
1. It’s less about quantity and more about quality
As your time in college progresses, you become more and more aware that what's important is not how many friends you have, but the quality of the friends you have. By the time you are a junior, you realize how truly amazing your little clique is and how lucky you are to have found them.
2. Good friends are rare, so hold onto them
By this point in time, you have lost a few more friends than you would probably like to admit. So, you know how truly special it is to have the ones that stick by you through the good times and bad. It is hard to find people who accept you 100 percent for who you are and will support you no matter what. For this, you are forever grateful.
3. Everyone is going through something
You've learned how to put your problems into perspective. Everyone is going through something, even some of the best people you know.
4. You have to work for what you want
As a teenager, you just kind of, well, expected everything to magically work itself out. Now, you are aware that hard work is what will make your dreams come true –– nothing will be handed to you.
5. Nobody is really sure what they’re doing
At least you can sleep at night knowing that everyone's basically on the same page.
Related: 18 Things You Still Don't Understand About College
6. And nobody is going to do things for you
By this point, you have learned how to become an independent boss lady who won't let anyone stand in her way.
7. Everything mom told you was right
We've all been there –– the adolescent days of telling mom, "You just don't get it!" It's funny, because at the time it felt so true. However, you have come to learn that everything mom ever told you about life was, honestly, on point!
8. You probably won’t end up where you thought you’d be
You aren't exactly where you planned to be five years ago…
9. But you’ll end up exactly where you’re supposed to be
…yet, somehow, you feel like you're in the right exact place.
10. The ability to forgive is so important
Over the past three years, you have come to realize that people mess up sometimes –– yourself included. The ability to hear someone out and forgive him for his error is so crucial.
11. You can love someone, but you can’t change them
This is something you've had to learn the hard way.
12. And sometimes, you have to let them go
When someone is causing more pain than happiness, it is time to set them free.
13. Some people will never get their priorities straight
Though perhaps what is a priority to you simply isn't a priority to them.
14. You don’t have to accept things you are not okay with
You now know the meaning of the word "no" and have the confidence to say it sternly when necessary.
15. It’s okay (and sometimes necessary) to put yourself first
No matter how much you love your friends or SO, you have learned to put your happiness first –– at the end of the day, you are your first priority and it's okay to be selfish at times.
16. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak –– it makes you wise
You have come to learn that the best way to get answers is to ask questions, and it is not something to be embarassed about.
17. Friends who tear you down aren’t "friends" at all
You've learned the hard way: if a person doesn't have your best interests at heart, they probably should not be in your life.
18. People will take advantage of you if you let them
There are some bad people in this world, and you understand that they are sometimes disguised as the good guys. You know to be on guard with anyone who appears to have a hidden motive.
19. The scariest things are usually the worthwhile things
Some of the most rewarding things you've done over the past two-and-a-half years are the things you swore you'd never do or didn't know you had the courage to do.
20. You can do far more than people think you are capable of
21. You won’t remember the nights you sat in and studied
Sometimes, you just have to neglect your responsibilities and go have fun! You may regret it in the morning, but you won't regret it a year down the road.
22. Take pictures –– and lots of them
You absolutely cherish your pictures from high school. Seriously, you wish you took more. You won't make this mistake in college.
23. Love is a two-way street
You'll never forget your first real heartbreak, but it taught you so much about love. Most importantly, it taught you that it takes both love and commitment to make a relationship work.
24. Beauty is skin-deep
No matter what the Hollywood standard is, you are well-aware that some of the most beautiful human beings in the world are that way simply because of who they are on the inside. Superficial crap is a thing of the past!
25. You’re going to feel lonely sometimes
No matter how loved you are or how old you are, you know that those days will come where you just feel alone.
26. But someone always has your back
Luckily, though, you also know that those lonely days won't last–– not with your best friends by your side!
27. Listen to your gut feelings
Instincts don't lie. This is something that time has proven to you again and again. If you feel weird about something, there is probably a reason for it.
28. Moments and memories are more important than material things
You know that what will mean the most down the road has nothing to do with the material possessions you owned but with the memories you made with the people you love.
29. Holding in your feelings will only hurt you more
Bottling everything up is never a good idea. You have seen the good, the bad and the ugly in people, and you have learned that most meltdowns occur from an individual's inability to express how they are feeling.
30. Do things while you have the chance
You understand life is short. It is better to embrace every moment and say how you feel when you feel it.
31. Stay true to yourself
