Your freshmen year of college can be the most exciting time of your life. You are entering a completely new environment with new people, new goals, and new opportunities.

Between buying dorm room essentials and planning your class schedule (8 a.m. classes are inevitable sometimes, sorry), it can be easy to get caught up in the hype of being a "newbie" on campus.

Here are five major tips for incoming freshmen to ensure the best possible freshmen year experience:

1. You aren't as cool as you think you are.

I don't mean for that to sound harsh, but it's true. College will be a huge wake-up call for a lot of people (I know it was for me). You are now a small fish in a big pond, and you will get lost in the crowd several times.

Don't be discouraged if your new favorite professor doesn't remember your name, or if the cute president of some fraternity doesn't recall your conversation at last Thursday's swap. People won't always remember your name, face, or favorite band, and that's okay. The more humble you are, the more fun you will have, chances are the more people will remember you.

2. Work hard.

This sounds like a "duh" statement, but it is also true. Freshmen year will hands down be the easiest year of college, so the harder you work, the better off you will be. Find a routine that works for you, and stick to it.

Find a good balance of work and play, because if there is any time to make a decent GPA, it is now. On the contrary, don't spend every waking minute in the library; freshmen year is when you establish a lot of your close friends and when you have the opportunity to meet tons of new people (and also when it's socially acceptable to make a fool of yourself at swaps).

Which brings me to my next point...

3. Make friends.

Again, a big fat "well, obviously." But seriously, meet the people who live next to you, go to swaps, eat with someone different at lunch every day, and join clubs on campus. A lot of your friends who you will actually stay in touch with will be the ones you meet in college.

Don't waste time trying to decipher who is the "in crowd" to hang out with. Find people you like and who enjoy the same things as you, and also find the people who make you a better human being. Because no one wants to be friends with the crowd who is known as "unapproachable."

No one wants friends who make them feel less than awesome. Your friends will be who you turn to during every crisis you encounter in college, and trust me, there will be many. Your friends will quite literally be crucial to your sanity.

4. Learn to be independent.

You have heard it before: Your mother will not be there to do your laundry, make you breakfast, take you to school, or remind you to do your homework. Buy a planner. Learn to separate colors from whites (or at least know to use cold water when mixing colors. Also, buy Wrinkle Release).

Be frugal with your money. Get some sleep. Invest in Emergen-C. Be kind to others. Know your Social Security Number and Campus ID. On really, really hard days, buy yourself a cupcake, then call your parents. They really do become the best resource after moving away, whether that be for serious life advice, to knowing if something needs to be dry-cleaned instead of machine-washed (laundry and I had some trouble freshman year).

Last, but certainly not least:

5. Be good to yourself.

This may seem like a rather lame piece of advice, but for real, take care of your body and mind, because freshmen year can wreak havoc on both.

Get sleep. You will learn to value sleep an incredible amount once you get to college. Make time for it. As I said, work hard, but don't forget to allow yourself to have some fun. You will have some of your most memorable experiences during these next four years, so take it all in.

Develop good time management skills. If you are bad at it now, college will force you to be good at it. Take time to relax, too. Whether that be through yoga, running, reading, or just laying out by the Rec pool (never underestimate the Rec Center pool—there is a lazy river). Find what works for you and find time in your schedule for it. Your sanity will be forever grateful.

College, regardless of price, major, or location is going to be some of the best years of your life. Enjoy it while it lasts. Stay humble, work hard, and be an idiot on occasion.

You will thank yourself later.