Ah, newly grads. So happy and bubbly inside. Congratulations! You’ve finally finished 4 long dreadful years of high school and in no time, you’ll be learning your ways around a new campus – COLLEGE IS SO CLOSE. Excited? Yeah, I was too. If I'm being honest, I still am. It's barely been a month since school got out and I already miss Starkville. I can’t wait for my sophomore year to begin: new involvement, new major, new opportunities, new friends, etc.

So I understand your excitement!!!! I’m praying each and every one of you utilizes your summer as best as you can. It will fly by in the blink of an eye.

1. APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS!

Good Lord, I cannot stress this enough. College is going to snatch up all of your money. I know scholarships are a pain in the butt, but they are so rewarding. Even if your tuition is paid or you have a full ride, APPLY! Why not? Any money you receive that isn’t needed to pay for school is money in your pocket! Your high school GPA is most likely a lot more beautiful than your freshman college GPA will be. Take my word for it. It’ll be much more difficult to find scholarships later on in the years than it will be your freshman year. So, apply. Now.

2. Start preparing a nice resume.

This is important for several reasons, not just getting a job. Having a resume is good for applying for scholarships and it helps to go ahead and get it squared away before August hits. You’ll continue to use it and update it throughout your college career. Once you get to school, go by the career center and let them take a look at it. They are the geniuses when it comes to resume content and appearance. And trust me – appearance is important. I’ve sat on scholarship committees and looked through hundreds of applications (essays and resumes). If we opened a resume that looked like crap, we instantly gave that scholarship candidate a no. Don’t just stop at the career center. Let your parents look over it. A teacher even. The more, the better.

3. If you haven’t decided on a college, you might want to do that.

Hahaha, this is just funny to me. But I know someone reading this seriously has no idea where they plan on going to school this fall. Or maybe they have a few choices and can’t decide on one. Well … decide!!! You don’t want to wait until the last minute and have a hard time getting into the classes you need. Lots of things, especially at bigger universities, are first come first serve: like housing and good professors. The sooner you settle on a college and get all your applications in, the better chance you have at getting more choices to choose from.

4. Plan out your schedule.

DO NOT, (((I REPEAT!!!))) DO NOT TAKE 8 AMs. This is a death wish. There is something just evil about them. I used to make it on time for PT in ROTC at 5:45 am, but I swear I could not make it on time to my 8 am for anything in the world. Try to avoid them at all costs.As far as organizing your classes, my advice is to plan your classes back to back. I’m not saying go 5 hours straight going to class. I’m saying don’t have three-hour breaks in between classes. It's honestly a pain (in my opinion and from my experience) to have a class from 9:30-10:45, a class from 11:00-12:15, and then have to wait around until 3:00 for your last class. I use to take a nap break after I got out of class at 10:45, and I didn’t have another class until 2:00. It was SO hard to get back out of bed and go back into the world of college. I ended up dropping that class because I skipped it so much. Don’t be like me. Avoid 8 am classes. Take your classes back to back. You’ll be fine.

5. Go to orientation.

Okay so I’m not actually sure how most colleges do orientation, but at State, it was in the summer. I didn’t go to orientation so I can’t speak much on it. But it’s where you get advised for your classes, build your schedule, tour campus, get you ID Card made, and much more, like get your hand print scanned at the gym for access. If for some reason you can’t make orientation like I couldn’t, just call your school and get in touch with the office of admissions. Someone will be very happy to walk you through the process of getting everything set up. Just make sure you get your ID made as soon as you get to campus because its likely to be your access to buildings such as your dorm, the cafeterias, and your proof of attendance in class.

6. Check to see if your major has any prerequisites/materials.

This may not apply to many of you, but it's still important. My original major was Architecture. Many of my classmates weren’t aware of the list of materials we were supposed to have on the first day of class, and it really set them back. Also, I couldn’t enroll in the School of Arc until I had completed both College Algebra and Trig. Not knowing important things like these can really put you behind. Look into it and see if there are any classes you need to take this summer before you get to school or any specific materials you’ll need before class starts in the fall.

7. Find a roommate.

Random roommates are absolutely fine, but why not at least try to find a roommate you know? The whole “Don’t room with your best friend” thing is a myth. It doesn’t ruin friendships. If anything, it strengthens them. Ask your friends if they know anyone going to the school you’re planning to attend. Utilize your resources. You might meet your new best friend like I did.

8. Dorm shop!

One perk of knowing your roommate before hand is being able to shop with them. You get to split the costs of many items. For instance, I brought a Keurig. Taylor brought a futon and the TV. It helps to be able to decide who brings what so you don’t end up with two of the same things. Check with your Housing Department to see what comes in the dorm. For State, each dorm already has a full-size fridge and microwave. Make sure you don’t go buy something your dorm already supplies you. I am thinking of making a dorm shopping list of things that we actually needed, so stay tuned for that. Keep an eye out for sales too. Sign up for promotion e-mails and what not. They come in handy.

9. Consider Greek life.

If you haven't given thought to rather or not you want to go Greek, you should look into it. Greek life comes with endless opportunities and benefits. Check out your school's Greek page and see what chapters they have on campus. This page should have more info on things like interest meetings, recruitment schedule, recruitment requirements, and prices based on the different sororities.

10. Join your class Facebook group.

This is so beneficial. Normally schools create a Facebook group for the incoming freshman class (ie. "MSSTATE2017"). These groups are a great way to get to know your future classmates. It helps to know a few people, especially if you're headed to a big school. It's also a good place to ask questions, see who still needs a roommate, see when others are going to orientation, or see who lives near you. Lots of group messages and GroupMe's started from our Facebook group. My class still talks in it periodically, asking what professors are the best for what classes and who has textbooks for sale, etc.

11. See if your school offers a freshman camp.

State has a freshman camp called New Maroon Camp that starts a week or so before school starts and lasts 5 days/4nights. It's filled with all types of fun activities to help incoming freshmen make friends and ease their transition to college. An on-campus camp/retreat is the perfect way to get your foot in the door at your new school.

12. Get a job and save up some money!

Yes yes yes yes yes. College is expensive. You’re gonna be paying for everything. The money will disappear so fast. Take advantage of this summer while you have time! College gets hectic and it may be too much to handle classes and a part-time job.

13. Love on your friends and family.

You’re about to leave home, for real. Rather it be down the road to a JUCO or to another State college, things are about to be different. Take time to love on your family and friends before you leave, because you’ll miss them once you’re gone.

Those are my top 10 things I advise you to do this summer! I’m praying for you all as you embark on this new journey! College can be very fun and exciting, but it can also be a rough experience for some. The easiest way to make your college experience the best ever is to be as prepared as you possibly can! Take heed to these 13 things and make this summer count for something more than just pool parties and fast food!