College is an exciting time, but an anxiety-ridden one as well. It is hard to know what to expect. Between what we see in the movies, what we see on Facebook, and what we hear from our parents, it is hard to know exactly what to anticipate. There are only so many things your mentors can tell you at orientation, so here is a list of things that they don’t.

1. You will get homesick at some point.
2. By homesick, I mean you will miss school when you have to go home for breaks.
3. You will have serious separation anxiety from your college friends.
4. You will rarely have alone time.
5. FOMO is real. And it is dangerous.
6. You will snack. A lot.
7. The freshman 15 is not a myth.
8. Dealing with people under the influence will be a regular occurrence.
9. People will have beliefs different than yours. You should respect them anyways, and they should respect you.
10. The communal bathrooms will be gross. Shower shoes are very important.
11. Bring quarters for laundry.
12. If you go to a bar school, get a fake ID.
13. You won’t dress up for class, even if you say you will.
14. Study even when you think you don’t need to.
15. Office hours are KEY.
16. Create a budget and stick to it.
17. Keep your door open if you want to meet people.
18. This isn’t high school anymore, popularity isn’t a thing.
19. Not everyone you meet is going to be your best friend.
20. You will hang out with people during welcome week that you won’t ever see again.
21. Buy a life-proof case for your phone. (No, seriously. I broke my phone six times during freshman year.)
22. Learn to love coffee, because it will be your best friend during exam week.
23. Academically-induced all-nighters are, sadly, a thing.
24. People will yell “Freshman” at you. Be thankful, you still have four years of fun ahead of you. They’re just jealous.
25. The busier you are, the less time you will have to procrastinate.
26. Call your parents, they miss you.
27. Be mindful of what you post on social media. It might be cool now, but when it comes time to look for a job, you’ll regret it.
28. Skipping class is just asking to fail.
29. You don’t have to do something just because everyone else is doing it.
30. Four years may feel like a long time, but it goes by with the blink of an eye. So live it up, enjoy every second, and try to forget that you’re graduating soon.