Going away to college is probably one of the biggest transitions you will ever have to go through. You are all of the sudden on your own and you have no one to rely on but yourself. Many things will be learned over your first semester away at college, but these are just a few of my favorites. Before you know it, you will be back home for the holidays done with your first semester!

1. Always check your email BEFORE going to class

I learned this lesson very quickly. There were multiple times where I would get all ready for the day, about to leave out the door and then see that I had an email from my professor saying they were cancelling class. You don't want to be that person who goes all the way to lower campus just to find out that class was cancelled!

2. Naps are a necessity

Having a bad day? Nap. Feeling a little under the weather? Nap. Bored? Nap. Naps solve every problem.

3. Roommates are lifesavers

Whether it be helping me make decisions such as if I should skip class (which let me point out that she never lets me), or driving my car to come pick me up because it is raining outside and I forgot my umbrella, my roommate always has my back!

4. You're best off being your own best friend

This is a tough lesson to learn but definitely a necessary one. Friends will come and go all the time and there is nothing you can do to control that. Making friends through your classes is always great but chances are that after that class is over, you will no longer stay in touch with that person. The one person you will always have is yourself, so you might as well make the best of it!

5. Doing laundry is only necessary when you are completely out of clean clothes

Not only is doing laundry expensive, it is time consuming. You have to work your schedule around when your loads will be ready to switch otherwise someone will throw your clean clothes on the ground so they can use the machine. Moral of the story; just don't do your laundry until you absolutely have to. If this means wearing the same pair of leggings three days in a row, nobody is judging.

6. You can write a six page paper in one night and still get an A

You will be exhausted by the end of it and you may have to lock your phone in a friends room, but in the end it all turns out alright. It may not be the best idea to do it every single time you have a paper assigned but it is possible!

7. You can make a lot of things in the microwave if you're creative enough

When all you have to make food is a microwave and your own two hands, you become very creative. Of course you can make your basic mac and cheese or ramen, but you can only take so much of that. Cake, cinnamon rolls, or eggs are all things that can be made in the microwave if you try hard enough!

8. There is really no such thing as privacy when living in the dorms

When you are living in what seems like a 5x5 box with another person, there is no privacy what-so-ever. The walls are paper thin so even when you think you are in your room alone, the girls next door can hear any word that comes out of your mouth. Even something like going to the bathroom is never done alone because with 37 other girls on your floor someone else is bound to be in there with you.

9. Being "ahead" of your classes really means being on track

At the beginning of the school year every freshman tells themselves that they're going to get ahead of all of their work and be on top of everything. In reality there is no such thing as getting ahead. College is a lot of work so the best you can really do is stay on track with your classes. Refer back to number six for a better understanding of this.

10. One bad grade is not the end of the world

This one was hard for me to wrap my head around. I was always the person in high school who would stress over one C on a test or assignment, but when you are in college a C is not the end of the world. After all, C's get degrees!

Every college student has a different experience throughout their first semester but these are just a few things that I have learned along the way. College is full of new experiences and opportunities so there is always room for improvement!