Ahh, college. Freedom to spend your time as you'd like and not have to answer to anybody. With seldom home cooked meals and caf food galore. Not to mention, having the opportunity to clean your own room, do your own laundry, buy your own supplies, and rack up thousands of dollars in student loan debt. How great it is to go to college. Yes, I LOVE that I have the opportunity to go to school and learn but...I miss my home. I made a little list for all you people who really need to slow down and smell the roses before you go off and join in the fun.

1. Take advantage of home-cooked meals.

These puppies are RARE. You will get sick of caf food no matter how good it is and having a scalding hot plate of food that someone made for you is a seldom occurrence.

2. Learn to cook your own meals.

Again, caf food gets old and making your own meals is a great skill to have and knowing what you put in your body is also good.

3. Cut down your makeup collection by 50%.

For all the ladies like me who have boundless amounts of lipsticks, bronzers, and mascaras, you NEED to cut it down. You do not need 5 mascaras and 8 blush tones. Pick the products that you use the most of and leave the rest at home or give some compacts away (not mascara or eyeliner..just toss those).

4. Make the effort to reach out to your friends that you didn’t see outside of school.

If you go the whole summer after senior year without chatting with them, chances are you won't the next summer, and before you know it, you'll never see them again.

5. Make a list of 3 things you value in a friendship and 3 things that you won’t tolerate.

This will be handy to keep in mind as you meet new people and observe their actions to try to find a couple people you really jive with (took me 8 months of college to find my people).

6. Learn how to do laundry.

No one will do it for you and it's a hassle to bring it home with you when you run out of underwear.

7. Do not over-pack.

You will not wear all 12 sweaters. You will not need more than 4 pairs of jeans. You do not need that T-shirt you got in middle school or the shirt you got from that one fundraiser that one time. Also, bring only 2 pairs of sweatpants..yes, only 2.

8. Make seasonal clothing boxes/bins.

For those who are going far from home, pack some of your colder weather things into boxes for family to send as it gets colder then keep those boxes to send back your summer-y clothes. For those of you staying closer to home, make bins for storage so you can grab those over Thanksgiving break/fall break.

9. Cut down on the amount of 1 season clothes you have.

If you can only wear it during 1 season, maybe donate it. UNLESS, it's a wool sweater or fleece-lined leggings(or other things like that) because if you go to school in the midwest, winter is from October-April and December through February and BRUTAL.

10. Clean!

Clean up your room and get rid of anything that you forgot about and doesn't have sentimental value. Chances are, you won't need it at school.

11. Come up with a tried and true skincare routine.

Don’t buy unnecessary products. This will save you hella money at school and if you get it down to a science, you won't need to spend money on products that don't help very much.

12. Use coupons!

Start using them whenever possible this summer so you get good at it when you go to school. Again, big money saver. Cosmetics, food, and cleaning supplies almost always have coupons.

13. Get microwave-safe plates and bowls made for children.

They’re less expensive and more durable. Plus, they come in fun colors and are better for the environment.

14. Call your grandparents!

It's nice to have old people to talk to and keep you grounded and you'll miss them when you don't have the chance to see them.

15. Take advantage of your pets.

You’ll miss them the most!! The dogs and cats and hamsters that make messes and shed all over for you will be very missed and the only animals you can count on seeing on college campuses are squirrels.

16. Get in the habit of calling your boyfriend/girlfriend to say goodnight.

Long distance or short distance, it will be tough. Also, just hearing their voice will make your day better.

17. Do some research about what your school has to offer as far as activities and events.

This will help give you an idea of what you might want to sign up for and it will help you meet people. I was very overwhelmed my first few weeks and the activity fair was so busy I didn't know where to start so having an idea of what I was looking for would have been helpful for me.

18. Take advantage of seeing your parents every day.

The support system won't be right downstairs and no one will be there to nag you about doing your homework or say "I love you!" or "Have a good day!" as you walk out the door.