Now, believe it or not, a lot of the money you are investing into your four years of college, isn't actually all being spent on the classes themselves, the housing, or the meal plan. In fact, a lot of it is being invested in many unspoken life lessons that you will learn during your time away from home that will prepare you for the things that a textbook cannot.
1. Naps are crucial
If you were someone who didn't typically nap while you were in high school, trust me, college will change your ways. When there is ALWAYS something happening at school between your classes, the clubs you're involved in, sports games you must see, or the office hours that will quite literally save your life, sometimes we don't put enough of a priority on sleep.
However, sleep is so important for not only your mental state and attitude towards others but also for your health. So nap anywhere, for however long you can because it will pay off in the long run. Fun fact, if you sleep for 90 minutes, your body will complete an entire sleep cycle and this is proven to boost your energy and mood!
2. You cannot be as messy as you were at home
While there were a select few who have had to share a room with a sibling their entire life, a majority of us have never had another human living within such close proximity to us. This meant at home, however messy I wanted to keep my room, was however messy it was going to stay. However, I am now living with a roommate and we are both slowly learning that this is no longer the case. Luckily, my roommate and I are on the exact same level of "messiness" so there is never a problem between us...yet.
3. You need to be able to get along with others
Following up on the previous subject, college is essentially X number (in my case about 5,000) of 17-21-year-olds living incredibly close to one another. If you don't get along with someone, chances are you are still going to be running into them whether that be in class, in the dining hall, or out on the weekends.
Try your absolute hardest to be a kind, easy-going, and helpful person to everyone you meet! You would not believe how much being a kind person pays off when you really need a favor from someone. College is all about choosing your battles. If you choose every single one, you will quickly have a lot of enemies and that is not fun for anyone.
4. Manage your time because your mom is no longer there for reminders
I don't know about you, but I think my mom is the definition of supermom. Between balancing her own schedule, with my sibling and I's as well, my mom was always there to remind us of exactly what needed to be done and when it needed to be done by. While this was absolutely amazing back home, it led to a bit of a culture shock when I arrived at college.
You are now responsible for your own schedule and getting things done on time. My best advice is to prioritize. Get the hard things done first and use your free time throughout the day to finish the smaller assignments. Don't spread yourself too thin in terms of clubs and activities because your sleep and relaxation time is important too.
5. Have fun but don't have too much fun
As someone who loves to make friends and be social, saying no to things was one of the hardest things I have had to learn so far. I am someone who absolutely loves to adventure off campus, eat out at local restaurants, and have fun with my friends. In the same sense, I am someone who finds sitting in my dorm for hours at a time incredibly boring. However, you are at school to get an education and you must remember to put that first.
Trust me, that "Hey, we're running to target and then getting ice cream... do you want to come?" sounds like it won't do any damage to the 5 hours of homework you have ahead of you (and sometimes it wont'), but do yourself a favor and learn to say no. As much as it stinks to say no to fun offers like these, your friends aren't going anywhere and you'll be thanking yourself later!
Being a freshman in college is all about learning. Don't be too hard on yourself right now, but remember that not everything you need to know comes from what a professor teaches you. These are just a few of my best tips that I have acquired so far, and I hope this can help someone out in the long run.
