This semester has been such a great time. Moving out of my house was the best thing ever, and I absolutely love the U of MN. Do you guys remember when everyone turned 16 and got their drivers licences? When this happened, I could not even remember how I had a life without being able to drive... Now, I can't see how I had a life before, living at home and going to high school. Academically, I am doing fine, I have my "sea legs" now and am ready for second semester. I really did not think that classes were very hard. I have been doing more reading than I ever did in high school, but I do not think the classes are as hard as everybody says they are, but then again, I went to a nationally ranked high school and took a lot of AP and enriched classes. The college atmosphere in academics is what works for me. I like not having as much "homework due the next day" because I never did it anyways in high school. I also like not having the same classes every day. Variety is indeed the spice of life, and I need stuff like that to keep me sane. I also like managing my own schedule and deciding whether or not I need to attend class, after all, we are adults and can make our own choices. Aside from academics, I have met many wonderful people here, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. It is also very helpful to have my brother here (he is a senior and is 21). My brother and I have been extremely close our entire lives, and it was really hard for me to be left behind when he went to college. I missed him and I was ready to go at the same time he was... and hated being the only kid at home (I'm the youngest). Now, its all good, and I have a feeling that my college career is going to go by WAAAAAAY TOO FAST!