10 Important Things I Learned During My Freshman Year Of College

1. Time flies way faster than in high school.

A semester of high school felt like centuries of hell with bitchy girls and parents breathing over your shoulder about grades and curfews, but freshman year of college comes and one day you’re moving into the dorms with a lanyard around your neck and parents in tow, and the next you’re saying teary eyed good-byes and wondering when the hell you grew up.

2. It’s truly up to you who you surround yourself with.

College campuses are huge and extremely diverse, there’s absolutely no reason you have to put up with the same high school drama queens unless that’s what your heart desires (which would be silly). You’ll become best friends with the most random groups of people and it won’t matter who was “cool” in high school, which leads me to…

3. NO ONE CARES WHO YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.

You find out really quick your SAT/ACT scores, Varsity letter and prom queen title are completely irrelevant to anyone but yourself. You’re now a blank canvas and have free reign to decide how the picture turns out.

4. Sleep is a rare but vital resource.

Get it whenever you can. Instagram and Twitter will be there in the morning, shut your phone off and go to bed or you’ll wish you did tomorrow when your pouring espresso down your throat trying to type your 6 page paper that’s due in 4 hours.

5. Just because you can eat as much as you want, doesn’t mean you should.

Most college dining centers are buffet style and allow for endless trips through the lines, but 9 months straight of pizza and brownies WILL catch up to you and you don’t want to be the kid who “really let themselves go.”

6. You’re going to have to say good-bye.

You’re going to befriend people from all over the globe and once summer hits you realize you can’t walk down the hall and grab your best friend for a quick bite to eat or trip to the library. People are going to transfer. People are going to drop out. People are going to study abroad. Even those who are coming back will probably be going home for the summer, so grab some Kleenex because you’re going to shed a few tears.

7. There is a club/group for anyone.

No matter what you love to do, there is a club for that. Rock climbing? Check. Sword Fighting? Check. BDSM? Weird… but yeah, that too! Get involved in anything and everything, don’t be afraid to join a club you know nothing about, college is about exploring what’s available to you and seizing every opportunity.

8. You’re going to lose touch with old friends.

Odds are not everyone from your high school is going to follow you to college, and even though you “pinky promised not to lose touch” that’s exactly what’s going to happen, and it’s okay! You’re going to make incredible new friends and wonder why the hell you were friends with some of your old ones in the first place. Those that really matter will be there no matter what, but the ones that sort of just fall off the face of the Earth weren’t good for ya anyway.

9. You have to learn to do things on your own.

Mommy isn’t going to come in to wake you up when you sleep in past your alarm or bring your homework to you when you forget it on the kitchen table. No one is following you around making sure you get your stuff done. So read your syllabi, get a planner and take responsibility of your life.

10. You’re going to have the time of your life.

You can’t really have expectations for college because it truly is what you make it. Your attitude dictates how your first year will turn out and I can guarantee it’s not going to be just like the movies. However, when finals week hits you will look back on the past 9 months and wonder how they flew by so fast and wish you could replay every last memory just a few more times.