Freshman year: start fresh

1. College is your opportunity to reinvent yourself.

It’s okay to hang out with your friends from high school, but college is your chance to grow into the adult you want to become. There are more opportunities than you can imagine once you hit college. Not only can you make new friends that have similar interests as you, but you can also find internships and jobs that will allow you to grow professionally.

Once you get to college it doesn’t matter if you weren’t the cool kid in high school. It doesn’t matter if you were the best athlete in the school or the shy kid. Freshmen from all different backgrounds convene on campus, and each and every one of you are experiencing the same struggles as you adjust to life on your own.

2. Learning to manage your money will help you more than you can imagine in the long run.

Late night trips to Wal-Mart and McDonald’s are all fun and games when you first arrive at college. It is easy to spend money without realizing how it is all adding up. But learning to be money conscious will make your life so much easier. It is better to save money that could be spent on trivial things for big items such as trips and concerts. Oh, and rent…because even though that may not be for a couple of years, it is always nice to have a buffer.

On that same note, it is important to remember that 100 percent of student loans have to be paid back eventually because they are just a loan, so spending your entire refund check may not be the best move.

3. The Freshman 15 is VERY real.

Whether it is gained from too much of that oh-so-delicious cafeteria food or from too many drinks on the weekends, you will soon find out that your body is changing. Not everybody gains 15 pounds, but I guarantee that your body shape will change while you are in college. Just because there is unlimited ice cream available in the cafeteria does not mean that you should consume unlimited ice cream.

A healthy lifestyle can go a long way. Not only will you thank yourself for starting healthy habits when your metabolism starts to slow down, but eating healthy is good for your brain. And believe it or not, you WILL be using your brain.

An important part of a healthy lifestyle is starting good sleeping habits. This is hypocritical for me to say, because sometimes during stressful weeks I am almost nocturnal, but I promise it is much easier to focus on lectures and homework when you get a good night of sleep.

4. Free food is the best food.

Besides reminding you that everything is better in moderation, need I explain? Keep your eyes and ears open and you will find ample free food (and other stuff)!

5. Skipping class is not ‘cool.’

College is nice because there is no one barking at you to go to class everyday, and there are usually no significant repercussions if you do skip. But let me tell you from first hand experience that skipping class will only put you behind. Plus, some professors have attendance policies that affect your final grade. You are paying to attend college, so as trite as it sounds, go to class to get the most out of the money you are spending.

If you aren’t a morning person, don’t take 8 a.m. classes. The beautiful thing about college is that there are generally multiple sections of each class. So if you know you won’t wake up for an 8 a.m. class, then don’t take them.

6. Go home once in a while because your parents miss you, even if they don’t let on that they do.

A simple text home will make your parent’s day. Not only that, but a trip home usually means a home-cooked meal, and it doesn’t get much better than that. Especially after eating cafeteria food for a couple of months.

It’s also important to remind younger siblings at home that you are still boss. They tend to overrun the house when you leave.

7. Your roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend, and that’s okay.

Most freshman have a random roommate unless you requested somebody beforehand (in which case, reread #1). It’s nice to have somebody to go to the cafeteria with, and to drag to the Week of Welcome festivities. Your roommate is the perfect person for this, but if you two find new friends throughout the year, that is okay!

However, make an effort to get along with your roommate. Even if you have a few differences in opinion. You have to spend the next year living in an insanely small space with this person, and it is much more bearable of you make an effort to get along.

8. Don’t stress it!

College is an experience that is going to be totally different from anything you have experienced before. It may be a little intimidating, but it is also thrilling. Take each day in stride and embrace it. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but it was that way for us all.