"You've changed".

That was all I heard from my school friends last year. As soon as I started college, a different college to the one they all chose to attend, I also started hearing comments on a daily basis about how much I'd "changed"; my every move was scrutinized, my every word was analysed and my every belief was questioned. After a while I grew tired of hearing about how "different" I'd become, and I began to wonder why these people who were supposed to be my best friends were suddenly so unsatisfied with me. When you're friends with someone, you love them no matter what, right?

That wasn't even the point, though. It wasn't the fact that I was changing, it was that they were not. On paper, it looked for all the world that they had left school, but in spirit... They really hadn't. How can you really grow as a person when you're surrounded by the same people you've known for five years at school? What they failed to grasp is that I had made the difficult decision to move on from school to a college that none of my friends were going to, where I barely knew anyone, but where I knew I'd be happy.

And now, two years on, I can honestly say that I don't regret this decision for one minute. I often wonder what my life would be like if I'd followed the crowd and gone to the college that pretty much everyone in my school year had chosen to go to. I'm pretty sure that if I had, I'd be nowhere near as happy as I am today. In these last two years I've met some amazing people, learned so much about myself, and made some friends that I know are for life. I've had so many laughs, a few tears, and moments that I will never forget. I even managed to get three A Levels done somewhere along the way.

Yes, I've changed. But for the better. Sadly, most of my old friends either changed for the worse, or didn't change at all.

I'd say I've become a more responsible, generous, honest and cheerful person. I've figured out what I believe in, formed a decent set of principles, broken some rules and learned some valuable lessons. I've changed in a few smaller ways too: I've actually started watching The X Factor, I appreciate dirty jokes, I've gained a couple more piercings, I've learned how to flirt and I've realised what I want to do with my life. Just thought I'd clear this one up: change is good for you. x

PS: I'm aware that I'll probably get into trouble for this post. Oh well. x