21 Things All College Girls Need To Remember Before We Go Back To School

1. Sometimes you’re going to go out and party all weekend, and sometimes you’re going to stay in your room all weekend watching Netflix and (maybe) Skyping with your friends. And tearing yourself up about what you missed out on for the whole next week is a waste of time. If you enjoyed it, it was worth it.

2. You always need more underwear and socks than you think you do. Always.

3. Signing up for things always feels good, but having to actually follow through with all of the stuff you volunteered for can be the worst. Only offer your time and energy for things that really mean something to you.

4. If you say you’re going to be somewhere, be there.

5. Always drink a glass of water between every drink. And if you’re sitting down, make sure to stand up before getting another one. You’re probably twice as drunk as you think you are.

6. Never — EVER — be ashamed to use your student discount. That’s what it’s there for, enjoy it while it lasts.

7. Just because your metabolism is still pretty good does not mean you can totally treat your body with disrespect. If your school’s cafeteria serves really gross food, try not to eat there every day (or force yourself to pick the good stuff). The freshman 15 can easily become the senior 25 if you don’t watch out.

8. If you feel tired all the time, you’re either eating gross, drinking too much, or not sleeping enough. And you probably already know which one it is.

9. If a friend makes you feel bad about yourself whenever you’re together, they’re not a friend.

10. If a friend only hangs out with you when you initiate contact, and you plan everything, they’re not a friend.

11. Dating someone in your group of friends can be awesome, but breaking up with someone in your group of friends can be awful. Make sure the person is worth it before taking the risk of losing a friend (and having to make your mutual friends pick sides.)

12. Everyone makes mistakes on social media, but never post pictures while drunk. You will almost always regret it (and it’s probably not as funny as you think it is).

13. Some people cannot be trusted with Snapchats. Learn who they are quickly so you can avoid them.

14. Missing one class every now and again is okay, but being the person who doesn’t show up until the last four classes and asks everyone to help them catch up is the worst. Don’t be that person.

15. Taking on too many classes at the beginning of the semester because you’re the perfectionist type who needs to do everything will only end in you having a mental breakdown in six months. Don’t do that to yourself.

16. Avoid credit cards at all costs. They’ll start out “for emergencies only” and end up with you buying a bunch of clothes you can’t afford at Anthropologie.

17. The three key pieces of clothing for not falling into the “gross girl in uggs, a hoodie, and yoga pants” trap during fall are as follows:

-Riding boots
-Blazer
-Stretchy jeans

Invest in those three, and you’ll be golden through all of autumn.

18. There will always be someone with cuter clothes and a better apartment (and she’ll probably also have the Macbook/iPad/iPhone combo that she always has with her for seemingly no reason). But that’s okay. You’re not in competition with her, you’re in competition with yourself. So accept her bougie privilege and move on.

19. Going out on Thursdays is almost always a good idea.

20. Five dollars at Starbucks every day doesn’t feel like that much, until you realize it’s a hundred dollars a month.

21. Have fun, and don’t take anything too seriously (including all of this stuff). The best part of college is making mistakes. Well, except maybe that feeling of walking across campus with your books and your scarf on the first day it starts to feel chilly, when the leaves are changing colors, and you feel like that cliche romantic image of a “college student.” That might be the best part.