My favorite song from Taylor Swift's '1989' album is 'Welcome to New York.' It's the first track on the album for a reason! It's incredibly catchy and perfect for karaoke, but even more importantly it captures the universal experience of facing a new place and making big changes in your life. I can't say I've ever been to New York, but I am familiar with all of the emotions associated with new beginnings. Taylor truly captures that feeling you get after the plans have been laid and the anxiety has subsided for a while. That feeling when you're fully consumed by the exciting adrenaline of entering a new city, a new school, a new job, or a new life. To me, the "New York" Taylor was singing about is that feeling. Change is scary, and moving is hard, but that is how you grow. The opportunities for new experiences are what make a change of scenery worth the struggle. These new experiences will most certainly be difficult or even negative at times, but getting outside of your comfort zone is the fastest way to find out who you are and who you want to become. The positives of change will more than likely outweigh the difficulties in the end. New people you meet could be a soulmate or a lifelong best friend. A professor could change your outlook on your studies and career. That gyro place around the corner from your new apartment could change your life. There is a joy in uncertainty that Taylor captures in this song. My favorite line is, "Everybody here was someone else before." This applies to Taylor's big move to New York, but it also resonates with my move to college when I was eighteen, and my imminent move to graduate school. Big changes allow you to reinvent yourself, and to discover that you are capable of doing difficult things. When I was eighteen, going off to college was a chance to make sense of who I am outside of my parent's home. Now, graduate school is a chance to find out who I am as a scholar and a professional. I may not have her lyricism or musical talent, but I like to think I have a few things in common with Taylor Swift; we both know what it is to be a stranger in a new place, and we know that there is joy and growth that will come from that experience.