50 Things I Wish I Knew Before Freshman Year Of College

Now happily in my second semester of Sophomore year, I have begun to reflect on how much I have grown and changed in college. I have definitely seen my share of ups and downs while being here but each experience has helped shape me as a person. However, I do wish I had some kind of manual to help me along the transition I faced when entering college. Here is a list of things, that if I could, I would go back and tell my Freshman self before I started school

1. You will cry...a lot

2. You'll eventually make friends.

3. You'll come to appreciate a shower without flip-flops.

4. Take advantage of all the free food opportunities the school offers.

5. Don't worry about the Freshman 15, the Caf actually makes you lose weight by being inedible.

6. STUDY!!!!!

7. Classes are so much harder than high school, pay attention.

8. Don't skip class unless you actually have to.

9. Go out with your friends and make memories, the homework can wait until the next morning.

10. Go Greek but join other activities too.

11. Not everyone you meet is your friend.

12. There are actual insane people masquerading as nice, beware of them.

13. You're going to break your knee in January of freshman year, prepare yourself for that.

14. You'll become friends with the people you least expect.

15. Your friends will become your mom, sister, and therapist all in one.

16. Don't get caught up in gossip or drama.

17. Be there for anyone that needs to vent or cry. Chances are you'll need the favor returned eventually.

18. Don't trust the boy who says all the right words. he's had too much rehearsal on other girls.

19. Always keep chocolate on hand.

20. If you're going to make Mac and Cheese at 2 am, make sure there's water in it.

21. Coffee will be your best friend.

22. Naps have never been more appreciated in your entire life.

23. Make sure you call home at least once a week.

24. Hang a picture of your family and best friend in your dorm.

25. Don't try to completely reinvent yourself, embrace your past.

26. Frat guys are NOT a better option than GDI's.

27.No seriously I repeat, Frat guys are NOT a better option than GDI's.

28. Girls will still be mean, college doesn't automatically make them nicer people.

29. Find people that embrace you for you, and don't try to change that.

30. If you find yourself wandering down Warrensville with your best friend at 1 am, you will have a funny story the next morning. Don't worry about it.

31. Calculus will be your own personal hell, don't take it.

32. You will make it out of any crisis you are having, just keep your head up.

33. The back corner shower on the right is the best one.

34. It's never a good idea to text your past flings passive aggressive messages after some fun with your Big on St. Patrick's Da.y

35. If you get caught stealing door decs in a dorm, make up a fake name to tell the RA.

36. Being written up is not the end of the world, in fact, it actually makes for a funny story.

37. Don't bring your entire wardrobe to college.

38. Fire drills happen, expect the 3 am wake up call.

39. Noisy upstairs neighbors will happen every semester, keep a broom on hand to hit the ceiling with.

40. If you have baked goods from home, you're everyone's instant best friend.

41. Set multiple alarms or you will never make it to class.

42. Leggings are a perfectly acceptable thing to wear multiple days in a row.

43. No one really uses the library until the last two weeks of the semester.

44. If someone asks you to do something spontaneous, don't think, just do it.

45. Riding on Cabby D's bus is an experience you definitely need once, but only once.

46. Going out on Tuesday's and Thursday's isn't as fun as it may seem and gets expensive fast.

47. A planner will become the most valuable item in the world to you. Nothing worse than forgetting to do an assignment that everyone else completed.

48. Go out of your way to be nice to people, but don't let them mistake your kindness for weakness.

49. Strive to look on the bright side in every situation that life throws at you.

50. Make the most of every minute, time flies and before you know it, you'll be halfway through second semester sophomore year and wondering how you got there.

College is not going to be exactly what you think it's going to be. It will be confusing, hard, frustrating, and you'll want to give up. It was also be amazingly fun, full of memories, and crazy.College will be the wildest ride of your life, but don't worry you'll make it through.