Being a camp counselor for an amazing school such as Texas A&M will be one of the most rewarding but challenging things that I have ever experienced. You gain so many new friends more quickly than you can imagine and by the time you stop to take a breath, it's almost over. You will cry tears of joy more than you ever have in your life and will be dreaming about the day you can set foot on that campgrounds once again. Although being a camp counselor is fun and exciting, there are some things that you might not expect. So here’s five things to expect before becoming a camp counselor:

1. You should have the ability to balance going to school as well as planning for camp.

School is absolutely the most important thing in your life. We constantly give our campers advice to not join too many organizations and to stay on top of our grades, but often don’t take in our own advice. You should have a mentality of working your extracurricular activities into your studying schedule and not the other way around. As long as you are able to do this, camp should be a breeze.

2. You should be outgoing.

Whether or not you are outgoing to begin with, you need to become outgoing at camp. Being in camp requires a lot of talking to people you haven’t met and having the confidence of introducing yourself in every camper situation. Some of the campers will be nervous or shy so they will expect you to initiate and lead the conversation. It's amazing how much they will open up if they know you are interested in what they have to say.

3. You should be very organized.

Between DG bins, folders, meetings, making gift bags and keeping up with due dates, camp demands a person who is organized and ready to keep up with planning for campers to have a great time. You might be doing a lot of this planning during school so make sure to take care of it early and not right before a major test.

4. You need to work well with others.

Within a month or so you'll be assigned a partner to work with during the entire camp process. You need to be able to communicate and collaborate with another person. Whether they are your closest friend or someone you just met, the two of you will be your camper’s first impression of camp and Texas A&M. It's important that you know how to work well with that person.

5. Your job isn’t over when camp is over.

Although you might be technically done with camp, you still need to always be there to help when a camper is in need no matter what time. Your campers will need you most at the beginning of the year when they are trying to find their place, but it's important to continue contact because you became a counselor for a reason and this is one of them.