A lot of the wisdom we give is misinformed and hurts more than it does help. I like to think of myself as the Lorax of incoming freshmen, so I’d like to clear up a few things to try to ease a few minds.

1. You’re going to lose all your high school friends.

Listen. Some people are going disappear, but that’s what happens all the time. It’s only going to be the people you don’t fit with. So, if people keep telling you you’re never going to talk to your best friend again, don’t listen to them. You can make it work.

2. It’s so much harder than high school.

That’s up to you. Not all classes are easy. Not all classes are hard. You’re always going to have a mix. But, the great part is, you’re going for something you like, so most of the classes are going to appeal to you. That makes a big difference.

3. You’re going to pull constant all-nighters.

Again, that depends on you and the class. I pulled one all-nighter in four semesters where I actually did homework and it was because I put off doing an essay due the next day. If you procrastinate, you pay the price, but most of the time you’ll be fine.

4. You’ll make friends right away.

This isn’t as cheery of a thought, but based on my personal observations, most people who made friends when they first got to school wound up falling out of touch. Making friends can be hard and if you feel like you’re the only person not hanging out with people right away, trust me, you aren’t. The friends you make right away can sometimes be the friends you made just because you didn’t want to be alone and more often than not, that means you aren’t going to be friends for very long.

5. You’re going to change so much.

Personally, this drives me crazy. Leading up to my first break, everyone kept telling me how different everything was going to be. It wasn’t different. I felt a little cheated. I felt like I did the whole “college thing” wrong... Everybody changes. That’s a fact and it’s great. When you go somewhere new, you’re bound to have different experiences... But you don’t have to become a completely different person right away and there’s nothing wrong with you if you don’t.

6. You’ll be great friends with your roommate.

So many people go to college expecting to become BFFs with their roommates, and to this day, I haven’t met a single person who actually did. Roommates can be really cool or really awful or floating in-between. That’s because they’re all people. Try to get along, but don’t go in expecting some amazing relationship.

7. If you get a bad roommate your semester is ruined.

This is the other extreme that is also wrong. I’ve heard some roommate horror stories, but do you know what comes at the end of almost everyone? Someone moves out. Then, it’s just a crazy story to tell people. If you can’t work it out, you can move and that’s perfectly fine. Put yourself first. Everything will work out.

8. You need to know what you want to do right away.

The majority of incoming freshmen do not know what they want to be. A lot of them don't even decide on a major until a year or two later. Believe it or not, at many schools, the major with the most students is the undecided major! That’s why you take classes you think will be interesting and go from there. You’ll figure it out eventually. Don’t let someone rush you.

9. You shouldn’t change/add majors.

If you’re interested in a particular subject, take classes in it. If you’re interested enough in the classes, add a major or minor! If you’re not as interested as you thought you would be, you can always drop the major or minor. You aren't a failure for changing your mind. It’s a learning experience. College is supposed to be about exploring and growing and if that’s reflected in your coursework, that’s wonderful. It’s about knowing what you can handle, and what you want to spend time with– nothing else.

10. You’ll be homesick all the time

This one isn’t a complete lie. You’re going to miss your family sometimes. You’ll also miss your friends, your pets, and your own bed. It happens. However, the campus becomes your home too! So, this statement is kind of true. You’re going to be homesick at both home and school. Sometimes you’ll miss your hometown when you’re in your dorm. Sometimes you’ll miss being on campus when you’re in your house. It's almost the same kind of feeling. You will eventually realize that this feeling of belonging is not unique to back home. College is also a place where one can find a sense of belonging and that feeling makes being in an unfamiliar place a lot easier. It's a home away from home.