Going from high school to college can seem like a big leap. It can be scary and extremely overwhelming, but ultimately, college is much better. After surviving your first year of college, many things will change; most will change for the better. Here are 10 changes that you will most likely experience.

1. Your major

Most people come into college with a firm understanding of what they want to do. Some will come in with not a clue of how they want to spend the rest of their life. Either is fine. Your first year will be filled with classes that will introduce you to what you think you are interested in. Most likely, you will learn that the major that you thought was perfect for you is not what you want anymore. It’s OK to change your mind. Ultimately, you have to do what is going to make you happy. You are the one who is going to do what you study for the rest of your life.

2. Your appreciation of free stuff

When you hear the word free in high school, it doesn’t really mean much to you. Yeah, free is great, but you have parents who you can go home to who will most likely make your life easier. I’m talking cooking meals for you, doing your laundry, and generally doing things that you don't think twice about. The things you took for granted, such as the free, home-cooked meals and laundry are gone. Once you get into college, you will flock to events that advertise free stuff, especially food and T-shirts. Take advantage of the free stuff, because unfortunately, not many things in life come free.

3. Your friend group

I hate to break it to you, but most of the friends that you make in high school will not be in your life forever. There will be the teary goodbyes at graduation and a promise to keep touch in college. You’ll try initially, but most of the time your friendship will just fade out. This is alright, though, because you’ll find the friends who will really be around for the rest of your life in college. Most people that you’ll meet in your life are not meant to be a permanent addition for the long haul. You have no obligations to see others in college, so it’s truly your own choice of who you want to actually pursue a friendship with.

4. Your relationship with your parents

I’m sure that you counted down the days of when you would get to move to your new dorm or apartment because I know I did. You’ll be excited because it’ll be the first time that you truly get to make your own decisions without your parents tagging close behind. This will be fun at first, but it gets old. You’ll begin to enjoy the phone calls and visits home more and more. You’ll value your parent’s advice more than ever before. As you mature, you’ll understand why your parents handled certain situations the way that they did. Also, it truly stinks when you have to cook your own meals and do your own laundry. Never take your mother for granted.

5. Your freedom

As established in the point before, your freedom will greatly change after moving to college. Your parents are no longer there to control what you do and when you want to do it. This is extremely tempting at first. I highly advise that you do not abuse this privilege. Your parents were strict on you for a reason. It’s your obligation to make responsible choices that won’t haunt you for the rest of your life.

6. Your responsibilities

Because you are living on your own, you’ll be forced to take household matters into your own hands. Are you in the mood for a home-cooked meal? You have to cook it. Are all of your clothes dirty? That’s your problem. You can only wear dirty clothes for so long. Trust me, I’ve tried. You’ll learn to balance all aspects of life, from the social, the academic, the domestic, and many other sides.

7. Your wardrobe

When you first start college, you’ll try to look nice every day. After all, you did that in high school. That will not last. You will accumulate so many T-shirts that you will have enough to wear them for weeks on end without doing laundry. T-shirts and Norts or leggings are your best friends.

8. Your bedtime.

Remember the days of being able to go to sleep by 10 p.m.? Yeah, neither do I. Those days die the moment that you start college. You have too many things to do than to sleep for 10 hours every night. You’ll take advantage of being able to run off of five hours of sleep every night.

9. Your study habits

College classes are significantly more difficult than those you experienced in high school. If you weren’t one to study in high school, your first year of college will be spent learning how to study. You’ll probably fail a couple of tests, and that’s OK. You have to learn what study methods work for you.

10. Your interests

You’ll discover that many of the things that you did in high school were simply because of those that you spent time with. Your first year of college will be spent discovering what you truly enjoy. You have the freedom to choose what you want to do. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of your first year because you get to discover what you truly love.

Overall, your first year in college is one that you’ll remember forever. Some would argue that it’s the best year of college life. However you see it, it’s up to you to make your time spent in college one to remember. The beauty of college is that you have the ability to make your own experience.