[AriaQ]

It's fitting that I'm writing this out on Thanksgiving. Truly, not in the last 4 and a half years have I felt so like myself. I'm thankful to be where I am right now. My intention is to ask some advice and gain perspective through the opinions of others.

I am currently a first semester freshman at a large state university. Throughout high school, I became very negative due to being chronically ill and force-fed (literally & figuratively) chemical solutions which really altered me as a person. I became a negative thinker. College didn't even seem like it would happen for me. I tumbled through school and started taking things into my own hands a bit and pulled out with a semi-recovered GPA and a well-crafted personal essay which got me into a decent university.

Since college has started, there have obviously been changes in me. I'm living out of state and more than a stone's throw away from home. This is a good thing though. I found myself still being a negative thinker though, and starting feeding into some existential crisis I subconsciously created for myself to go through. In the past few weeks, though, there had been a strange anxiety consuming me and in a sense pushing me to stop and breathe and think. It was throughout these angsty days that I realized my problem has been negative thinking. I've only been limiting myself. This isn't the solution to all of life's problems in one sentence, but it's significant I think.

But now I find myself extremely motivated. I love the college lifestyle, and learning about things that interest me. I just declared a double major in Political Science and English. For some reason, I really want to graduate college early. A year early, in fact. There are many reasons why I hope to do this...for instance saving my parents $30,000 for the year's tuition or taking time to travel after school. However, the main reason is because it fits my character. Graduating in three years would require some work. (I have no AP Credits from high school, will have to take full course loads and summer classes, and hold a part-time job) I want to do it while getting all of the experiences out of it that I can. Studying abroad (I have a scholarship for that), getting involved on campus (I'm involved in a few organizations right now), and making those lifelong friends and connections. But I know that I get bored if I'm not busy. I get anxious and impatient. I need to have a goal. But a lot of people don't believe graduating college early is worth it. I guess I'm looking for input on that specifically.

I just find myself with such a positive outlook right now that I feel if I don't start doing something with it, I'm going to slip back into my negative thinking. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm really up to it, and excited about it. So, some questions:

What are the drawbacks of graduating early?
Is it worth it?
Any pointers or tips from those who have?
What are some ways to keep a "positive thinking" attitude?

Sorry, this was a bit long! Any input would be appreciate, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all!