Going to college in Los Angeles was not something I would have imagined when I was young. If you told my 12-year-old self I would be going to a university in LA I would have told you, you were crazy or thanked you for having such big dreams for me. It wasn’t until the end of high school when I really began to consider it as an option. Which makes sense, because at that point you are finally seriously thinking about your future and I knew for me that meant I was ready to get out of Kansas.
Sometimes it’s funny how much I talk about what an opportunity it is for me to go to school here because I have so many friends from Los Angeles. To them, this is just home the same way the suburbs of Kansas City are home to me. They grew up here, learned life here, created themselves here. Los Angeles is just normal because it’s home. But to me, and all those out of state like me, I see this as such a treat. Not many of my peers from back home even had out of state as an option, let alone somewhere as far as LA. So there have been so so many days where I just sit and think to myself, “I can’t believe I live here now”.
Life in LA is great. But it’s a mix. There are times where I will tell you it’s not all it’s hopped up to be. You think you’ll be at the beach every weekend but then come to find that because it’s so close you almost forget it’s there or are just spending your weekends as a college student doing homework and what not. You think it’s a La La Land of stars that you can run into as you walk down the street, but I do my fair share of stalking on social media to get my daily dose of celeb gossip just as much as anyone else. And you think that the iconic Hollywood sign is visible almost anywhere you are in LA because I mean why wouldn’t it be? But let me just tell you it’s not as high up in the mountains overlooking LA as you think.
But now let me flip the script and tell you it’s exactly how you think it is and that it’s so phenomenally cool living here. The beach is literally a five-minute drive so I can smell the ocean and hit up the beach just about anytime I want. Plus those sunset water pics are incredible. And I’ve seen my fair share of celebrities. My first weekend of college I went hiking up the Hollywood Sign and saw one of the actresses from the show Pretty Little Liars. I have gone to The Late Late Show with James Corden twice and the Lip Sync Battle show and sat front row, gotten on national television for a dance segment, talked to James Corden’s son, seen Chris Paul and Steve Nash, waved at John Legend and LL Cool J, touched Chrissy Teigen, Zendaya, and Tom Holland, and basically just lost my sh*t with so much excitement after being on campus and going to classes the morning before the show. Like who can say they went to class at noon and were at the James Corden Show getting on national television by 3?! And from my school’s amazing Bluff view, I can see the Hollywood Sign every single day so I get spoiled with that too.
So ya, it’s a mix. Sorta stereotypical, sorta normal. But sorta so amazing. I love my school and I’ve loved my first year of college. It’s crazy how fast it’s all coming to a close. I have mixed feelings about leaving freshmen year. For one, it’s my last freshmen year ever, the last time I can ever call myself that. You can often use that as an excuse for your negligence to things because I mean “I’m only a freshman, what do I know?” But then again, as a sophomore, I will no longer be one of the babies of the school and just a freshman. This year has flown by and I have made the most amazing memories, met the most amazing people, and had the most amazing experiences. Life in LA is great! Now bring on summer so I can get back here come fall!!