While you’re making your final decision for what college you’re enrolling this coming fall, there are three lessons I wish I knew before I moved in. No matter what school you attend, you are most likely going to have to leave you high school friends behind. Through my first year in college, I have learned so much about who I am and what it’s like to live by yourself. Here are just three of the many lessons I have learned from my first two semesters at Michigan State.

For me, this was one of the hardest things I had to do. Because I went to such a small school, I graduated with many of the people that I had gone through all of school with, so I know what it’s like to have lifelong friends. These people mean the world to me, and leaving them to go to college out-of-state really took a lot out of me. What I had to learn, though, is that no matter what happens or where you go, there will always be times where you need to make new friends. You are not abandoning or replacing your friends from home, but you’re simply learning about how to live as an adult. Another thing I would recommend is getting to know the people in your building. You never know who you’ll meet and you may find some lifelong friends. I know I did!

Living with someone else can be stressful. I wasn’t used to sharing a room with anyone, and once I got on campus my whole lifestyle changed. I learned to be more comfortable about sharing my things - food in particular - and learned what I wanted to keep for myself. Having a roommate opens up a ton of opportunities to make friends and to learn more about where people come from, so I definitely recommend sharing a room your freshman year.

The last lesson I learned throughout these two semesters is that nothing will go entirely as planned. Whether you’re joining a club, playing a sport, studying for an exam or scheduling your classes, there will always be something that doesn’t go according to plan. What you need to learn is that it isn’t the end of the world. You cannot control everything, so accepting this and letting life take its course is what needs to be done. By sitting back and letting life work its magic, I promise your freshman year will be as memorable as possible.