You made it. Your bags are packed and you’re ready to start your time at college. Take it from someone who’s already spent a year away at school--college is awesome. I’ve learned quite a bit, met some of my best friends, and made tons of irreplaceable memories. You’ve spent your whole life gearing up for college life, so make sure you get off on the right foot.

1. Make sure you’re prepared.

As soon as you get on campus, you’ll be ready to start enjoying college, so before you get there, do a little planning. Make sure you have all the supplies you need for your classes, look to see what books you’ll need, print out your schedule and save it on your phone, and make sure your dorm room has everything you’ll need for your first semester. Having all of these things figured out means less you have to worry about at school, lowers the chances of unforeseen problems coming up and means you’ll have more time for fun before classes start.

2. Meet the people you live near.

I can’t stress how important this is. You’ll be seeing quite a bit of your roommate(s), suite mates, and/or hall mates, so get to know them. Talk about any rules or boundaries that you want to set for your living space to avoid awkward situations or big blow-ups. The people you live near also offer an opportunity to make new friends without having to go very far. You’re all new and looking for people to hang out with, and who knows, maybe you’ll meet your new best friend.

3. Meet people you don’t live near.

College is a great opportunity to meet people from different places with different views, beliefs, and cultures from you. Get out and about on campus to meet new people. Being exposed to different kinds of people opens you up to making new connections, finding people to hang out with, and helps you grow along the way.

4. Go to school events.

I know, cheesy event names and staff who are a little too happy can cause people to shy away from some of the events the school puts on in your first few days there. But these events are a great way to meet people, get involved with groups and organizations on campus and give you something to do with your time before classes start. If nothing else, you can always count on free stuff.

5. Don’t get too wild.

It’s pretty common for the first week of being at school to be filled with parties. People want to celebrate the start of the new year, and since the first few days on campus are class-free, parties are fairly easy to find. I would encourage you to go to parties when you get to school, but remember what you’re really at school to do. Have a good time, have a few crazy nights, but don’t let partying get in the way of your education, and don’t do something that could come back and haunt you.

With these tips, you should be ready to take on your first week at college. That being said, your first week at school won’t be perfect. There will be awkward encounters, sad goodbyes with your parents, lots of nerves, and a lot going on at once--but you’ll get the hang of it. After all, that is what college is for; learning.