My freshman year has come to an end after 9 months of adventure, excitement, and endless memories full of laughter. This year was filled with surprises, challenges, and new opportunities that created an awesome year. Though there were ups and downs, as with any school year, it was one that challenged me to become a better person and to discover my true passions in life. Now here are 5 tips for soon-to-be freshmen.

1. Changing your major is OKAY

Coming into my first year of college, I thought I had everything figured out, but boy was I wrong. I came to college believing that I would graduate in 4 years, with a degree in Earth Sciences and a teaching license in Secondary Education to become a high school science teacher, but that plan did not stick around for long. I wasn’t enjoying my classes as much as I thought, in fact, they were causing me more stress and annoyance than anything, so I changed my major and hoped for a fresh start. At the beginning of my second semester, I was officially an Elementary Education with an emphasis in Earth Sciences, hoping to teach at a K-6 science classroom, but once again, even a week into classes, I was bored and unhappy. After the first week of classes, I searched around for a major that I would be interested in and found Criminal Justice, where I registered for the introduction class and fell in love. This class exposed me to new experiences and ideas that I didn’t even know were possible. I do not regret changing my major at all, as it has opened my eyes to so many new experiences that I didn’t know were available. Having 3 different majors in my first year of college was a whirlwind of emotions, but it was worth it in order to be happy about my future and you should not be afraid to ever change your major.

2. Grades aren’t everything

I know that in high school, grades are everything so that you can get into the college of your dreams, but in college, grades aren’t your entire world. The classes you will take, regardless of your major, will have a much more rigorous workload and it will take some time to adjust to this change of pace. I realized this last semester when I was disappointed that I didn’t receive my desired grades in all of my classes, but soon knew that I did my best and worked my butt off for those grades and that it was an achievement to be proud of.

3. Balance is key

Finding an equilibrium between all of the craziness that is college, which includes time for school, a job, working out, and a social life, was the hardest adjustment that I had to make. In high school, I only had to worry about going to school from 8:00 am till 3:30 pm and having after school practice for extracurriculars and that was about it, along with some homework here and there. College completely turned my world upside down with trying to balance everything in my life. The first semester was the worst, where I constantly called my mom telling her I wanted to go home because I was too overwhelmed, but I eventually got my feet on the ground and figured out great time management skills that have allowed me to finish all of my school work, work out, have 2 jobs, and still have time for friends. This necessary balancing act is crucial in college but is very achievable with the correct work ethic and patience.

4. Take care of yourself

This goes along with the statement above that grades aren’t everything. Pulling all-nighters might have been cool in middle school, but in college, they can become detrimental to your health. Trust me when I say that trying to pull an all-nighter while having a final the next day is not the best idea and can have a negative effect on your grade and how well you are able to remember information for your exam. Taking care of yourself is essential in college, from getting enough sleep to eating right, working out, and making sure that you are content with your major, all play major keys in taking care of your health in college.

5. It gets better

Trust me, the first few months of being away from everything that I had grown up around, sucked big time. I hated being 4 hours away from my best friends, family, and pets, but I learned to grow from this bump in the road and fell in love with my college and the wonderful people that became a part of it. Trying to learn to juggle work, making new friends, and endless amounts of school work became a major challenge, but one that will become easier with time and patience, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Each year of college will fly by, as my freshman year was gone in the blink of an eye. Be sure to enjoy all of these amazing opportunities and do not be afraid to take new chances!