New beginnings can be a scary thing, but they can be the best thing to ever happen to you! Starting your freshman year, going away from home, it can all be very overwhelming. What really counts is that you make the absolute best of it, because you are about to start what may be the best years of your life. Here are some personal tips I'd like to share with you:

1. Put yourself out there

There's no better way to learn about a place than submerging yourself into it. Talk to people, you never know how important a stranger could end up becoming to you. I saw a girl from one of my classes sitting on a bench outside of our building and I started talking to her, and now almost two years later I know I can call her a friend for life. In high school I was outgoing but only to people I was already comfortable around, but that changed for me in college, and I love it. Now I’m friendly to everyone and the amount of friendships that have come from that are very rewarding. It sounds so cheesy when they say how stepping out of your comfort zone can have great benefits, but in my personal experience it really is true. So go new places, meet new people, join a conversation, try a new food you see in your dining hall, join a club whether it’s based around your passion or not. The only way to learn what's right for you is through trial and error.

2. Do not be worried

It's very easy to stress, and get worried and bubble over with anxiety, but don't do it. I know you’re in a new place and that can be intimidating, but your gonna know this place like the back of your hand in no time. I consider my school SUNY Cortland home, but on my first day of classes I walked all the way to the opposite side of campus for my 8 am class before realizing I read the number on the map wrong. Thankfully, I left a half hour early so I wasn't late. But, the moral of the story is, it is okay, leave time for some error, and even if you are late your first week of classes it's okay. Professors are people too, they are understanding, they realize you’re new and you’re trying your best to figure things out. I know it may feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders right now, but take a breath, balance out that weight, realize you can handle this, and you'll be more than fine.

3. Don't be sad about leaving your friends

I was so sad leaving my best friends, tears were shed, I had an existential crisis thinking about how different life was gonna be, how much I was gonna miss going to Dunkin' Donuts every day for lunch with my best friends, blasting the best music, talking about our lives that we all knew so well and were so comfortable with. Distance in my opinion says nothing about genuine friendship, I have the same best friends I had in high school, no one changed for the worse, if anything we've all grown into ourselves for the better. Distance, can be a test of true friendship, but it is no end-all. Real friends are going to stay in your life and significantly.

4. Keep grades a priority

College has a lot going on, you’re most likely going to be living in a freshman dorm, which is an experience like no other. In my freshman hall, we all had our doors open, we became like family. Our floor ended up to be such a tight knit community that we had a "floor Instagram account." Spending my freshman year there definitely influenced me as a person, but you have to be careful, because it's easy to get swept up in the excitement. Having fun is important, but remember why you’re enrolled at a college in the first place. Go to class, I know you'll feel like you deserve some days off, but really go, you'll be glad you did when you see your GPA. Do your homework, study for your tests. The library can become your best friend, there's nothing I find more peaceful than sitting at a shiny new computer, with my headphones in, drinking some white hot chocolate, and getting my work done. The whole college experience can mold you as a person, but your grades and accomplishments represent you, so don't let them escape your mind.

5. Get a job

Don't do this right away until you make sure you can balance everything you have going on without draining yourself. Don't give yourself a job with so many hours you won't have time to breath. But, I highly recommend getting a job. I work at my dining hall, something I hear a lot of people aren't fond of working at but I absolutely love it. I like the people I work with, I like the people I interact with, I don't mind my responsibilities at all, and it's actually rewarding. Knowing what it's like to do hard work is an important skill to have. I scooped ice cream for a semester, I went home once a week with my clothes covered in ice cream, my wrists sore from scooping ice cream for 4 hours, and If I could go back I'd do it again. It teaches you a lot, being on the other end, it reminds you to have manners when someone is serving you, and that a simple smile from a stranger can mean a lot when you’re over your head in stress, and extremely tired. Working is important, not for the money, but for the experience. At least try having a job it could really change you for the better.

This isn't all you need to know, because all you need to know you'll learn for yourself through all your experiences. However, I would love if any of this helps you in anyway at all. Things are about to get really awesome, be ready!