5 Things I Realized After My First Semester of College

As everyone continues to cram for finals, I've found myself reflecting on the things I know now that I have made it through my first semester of college. While it seems to have been the fastest semester of my life, it has also felt like move in day was light years away, yet I can still feel the twinge of fear I felt in my stomach as my parents left me and I settled into my dorm room. There are many things I wish I had realized then that I know now. For those of you high school students that have that same knot in your stomach, here are 5 things that I, the epitome of anxiety, have learned this semester that I think would have helped if I would of known before.

1. It really isn't as scary as it seems.

I know, I know -- you've heard this one before. No matter how many times it has been crammed into your head, it still is nerve wracking. But I know where that fear is coming from, and soon enough you'll be having so much fun that you will not even have time to think of all of that silly fear. That, or you will be so involved with your school work you won't have time to think about being scared.

2. Yes, living in a dorm will suck at times.

You'll realize that sometimes it is hell. People will be overly loud, RA's will get on your nerves, and sometimes you'll feel like you are stuck in a prison cell. But hey, it's an experience you'll want and it is a nice way of meeting new people.

3. Yes, FOMO is real. No, don't let it force you to go out.

I was all about thirsty Thursday's at the beginning of the year. When I say I thrived, I THRIVED. But after a few months of going out Thursday through Saturday I found myself worn out beyond belief. One Thursday, I found myself unable to going out and just crashed instead. It revived me and then I was able to go out all weekend and next Thursday!

4. Making new friends is way easier than you think.

At first you may be thinking, "How the hell am I going to meet new people at such a big place." But because it is so big, you'll make new friends EVERYWHERE. The amount of friends I have made this semester just from being in class together to being a friend of a friend of a friend is amazing. Don't worry too much about that.

5. Take your classes seriously.

While finally being on your own, you may think you don't need to go to classes and study as much as you did in high school. A big heads up to you there -- you'll need to study twice as hard. I spent probably half of my semester in the library prepping, and by the end of the semester I wasn't nearly as stressed about finals as I would have been.