Some people think that you become an adult upon turning eighteen years old, or at least 21 when you can legally drink. Others say it’s when you get your driver’s license. Now, I don’t want to argue semantics, but I firmly believe that the milestone of adulthood, for me, was my first time.

My first time putting my phone out of commission the night before the first day of college and having to independently deal with the consequences of my stupidity, I mean. In the absence of my phone, I deployed such resourceful thinking—of which no one, especially not I, would’ve believed me capable—that I felt an overwhelming urge after-the-fact to sit down and pen a pretentious college application essay. (Naturally, I didn’t, but you have to admit it would’ve been the logical progression.)

School started on the 24^th of August. Thus, the 23^rd was filled with kickoff…