I survived my first week of college! Though it was not a huge obstacle, it was no small task. The following are lessons I was able to learn very quickly.

1. Signing up for an 8AM? Never again.

Somehow waking up at 6 a.m. for high school was easier than waking up at 7 a.m. for college. Lucky for me though, all of my classes are only a five-minute walk from my dorm, so I can hit snooze a few times if I'm really feeling it.

2. A planner is essential.

I've already received three different schedules of events for theatre, plus all of my assignments for class. Without my Lilly Pulitzer agenda, I think I would have pulled out all of my hair already.

3. You need to watch what you eat.

The caf has pizza at lunch and dinner every day. There are always a plethora of cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. Then, over in the corner, there's a salad bar. Make the effort to hit the greens at least once a day.

4. On the same note, the gym is your friend.

It's so easy to eat crap all day, like I said before. If you're like me and have the options of Sonic, McDonald's, Cook Out, Chic-fil-A, Taco Bell and many more right off of campus, you'll probably find yourself hitting up a burger or a quesarito at 11 p.m. with your friends. You've already paid to use the gym -- so go!

5. Go to bed.

You're free to do what you want in college! That means you can stay out with your friends until 2 a.m. and your mom isn't going to come in and tell you to get some sleep. I don't think I've been asleep before 1 a.m. since I've been here, and now I'm feeling it. I'm planning on pumping out my homework tonight so I can go to bed early -- on a Friday -- and sleep in tomorrow morning.

Of course there are more things that I'm learning and will continue to learn, but trust me -- these are universal. Everyone warns incoming freshmen about this things and it's easy to brush them off. But when that first weekend on campus hits, you'll know them to be true.