After spending a summer at home I have mastered the task of answering, "What should I expect from my freshman year?". 

1. Everyone needs to make friends. Going into my first year I was under the impression that for some reason I would be the only person that was going to be friendless at a new school, I was very wrong. Everyone freshman is in the same boat going into the start of school.

2. Leave your door open as often as you can. Propping open your door is inviting and a really good way to meet the people you will be living with.

3. If you are going to break the rules—almost everyone does—be smart about it. Dorm parties are some of the most fun I had during my freshman year, but I was lucky with some really cool RA’s. Not every RA is going to turn away if they see someone walking down the hall with a beer in hand. Just put the beer in a cup. 

4. Play an intramural sport. I played ultimate frisbee with a group from my hall. Although I am not good at catching or throwing a frisbee we had so much fun as a team and going back to number 1 it was a really easy way to make friends.  

5. Go to class as often you can. You wont learn what you aren’t in class to learn. Attendance really affects your grades. Learning from a professor who is passionate about what they are teaching also could lead to a new interest for yourself.  Also, go to the rec center, at most schools you get a free membership with your admission. You might as well go, the freshman fifteen is a real thing and could be the freshman twenty or thirty if you aren't careful enough. 

6. The weekend starts on Thursday. Halloween lasts for five or six days, St. Patricks day is a week long holiday, day parties are exhausting but some of the best times you can have. 

7. Getting in trouble is inevitable but not the end of the world. A majority of people you know will end the school year having been written up at least once by an RA or with an M.I.P. (minor in possession ticket). It happens, you will make it through, you will likely be better because of it and you will definitely laugh a week or so after it happens.  

8. You will become good friends with people you never would have seen yourself bonding with. Whether it be the preppy girl down the hall or the boy in all black, their personalities may complement yours. 

9. Be open to new experiences. You may have fun—you may hate it. But you would never know if you hadn't tried it. 

10. Enjoy it while you can. Embrace the study hours and bonding activities, the dining halls and late night pizza runs. You will miss them when you're not a freshman any more. 

Heading into my sophomore year I realize how much I will miss being a freshman. You get a free pass to make mistakes because you are new to the college life and don’t really know any better. You get to meet all new people and be whoever you want, you get to live on your own without being totally responsible for everything.