The final months of senior year can either be some of the most relaxing or stressful months in your entire life. Trying to soak up all of the memories that prom, graduation, and other events throw at you can be stressful, but your teachers certainly make it easier on you by barely giving you any responsibilities. However, dearest seniors, the end of this magical time period is fast approaching. Soon, you’ll be packing up your things and counting down the days until you move into college. Once you’re here, the butterflies in your stomach will be continuously fluttering as you navigate through this new jungle you call home.

College has its many ups and downs, but the way you approach your first semester will make or break the rest of your college career. Here’s a list of things to be prepared for once classes begin:

1. Study skills will make or break your first semester

Studying is a major part of college. You’ve probably heard that phrase millions of times since you entered high school, but you never truly understand it until you sit down to take your first college test. Professors can be cruel and unforgiving with their tests so make sure you study the small details, even if you don't think they're important.

2. Naps are your best friend

Had an 8 a.m.? Take a nap. Just sat through four straight hours of class? Take a nap. It’s OK to take naps once in a while. Without them, you’ll most likely have a mental breakdown or pass out during dinner. Just make sure you’re not sleeping your day away.

3. Stay on top of your work

The amount of hours you’ve slept in a single day will be greater than the amount of hours you spend in class during a week. This may be viewed as a major advantage over high school, but looks can be deceiving. The endless amount of free time someone has can be used to make sure they’re keeping up with their work, or used to goof off and binge 13 straight hours of Grey’s Anatomy. Make sure you do the former, unless spending 13 straight hours on homework is something you love to do.

4. Be yourself during orientation

Orientation is a time when you’ll meet most, if not all, of your classmates. You WILL make friends, so it's better to become friends with the people you relate to most from the start, instead of halfway through the semester.

5. Graduation isn’t the last time you’ll see a room full of people violently sobbing

It’s called finals week, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

6. No, high school didn’t prepare you for an 8 a.m.

As someone who endured their first semester with an 8 a.m. class everyday, I can assure you that high school does not prepare you for them. In high school, your nights were filled with copious amounts of sleep. In college, you’re lucky to get six hours of sleep if you have an 8 a.m. Unless you’re a morning person or someone who likes to drink a lot of coffee, avoid these classes if you can.

7. There is a 90 percent chance you and your roommate will not be friends

When you first arrive at college, you'll look for someone to bond with, and usually your roommate is the first person you find to do so with. While some roommates do become very close, there’s a better chance that you and your roommate won’t, and that’s OK. Just because you aren’t close friends doesn’t mean you can’t get along and share a living space with one another.

8. Get a Netflix account if you don’t have one already

You’ve caught up with your work, you’re done with classes for the day and you’re too rested to take a nap. Now what? Netflix. This website will be your best friend, ally, and support system for the duration of your college career.

9. Don’t expect many snow days

While some professors do cancel class when the weather gets bad, most will not if your college or university does not cancel or delay class. Sure, it may look like Antarctica outside, but that’s why boots and jackets were invented.

10. Doing poorly on your first test will not be the end

It’s time to see what you got on your first college test, and the results are far worse than you expected. So what do you do? Well, if you’re like me, you’ll call your mom and bawl your eyes out. It’s OK to be upset when you get results like that because you don’t know what to expect. My advice would be to cry, collect yourself and work harder on the next few tests.

11. The weekend is made for you to relax, not to fall behind

Sure, that paper isn’t due until Tuesday, but do you really want to spend all of Monday cranking out a terrible paper? No one should be doing a ton of work over the weekend, but doing a little bit of work each day and relaxing afterwards helps to ensure that the following week won’t feel like overkill.

Remember seniors, college is hard and you will doubt yourself from time to time but as long as you take it day by day and manage your time well, I can guarantee it’ll be one of the best experiences of your life.