Coming into my freshman year of college, I was so excited. Parties, clubs, an unlimited meal plan: everything fun would be packaged into an exciting four years at a fun school. On my first week, I was super excited to get to know my roommates and start my classes. Things changed very fast from my first week of college. Some of the people I met during my first week aren't my closest friends anymore, and the classes I thought I would love during my first week are my least favorite in some cases.
The key fact I have learned in my first semester of college is that things change very often. From the boys you talk to, to the meals you eat, to the times you go to bed -- you have to be extremely flexible in college. Some nights you'll have a ton of homework -- and if you're anything like me you will have to catch up on homework you held off on, so you will have a lot of late nights. Napping is essential to the flexibility aspect, pulling that all-nighter and just telling yourself that soon you can take a nap.
Another thing I have learned in my first semester is that you can't get too caught up in the social aspect. You are at college to get an education, not for anything really but that. You need to have fun, yes, but what will really matter at the end of the day is how well you do in the classroom, and putting the studying in. It is hard to transition from high school -- where everyone was holding your hand, to college where you are forced to do everything on your own. The transition can be tough, but you have to remind yourself that you need to be adaptable and try your best in every aspect of college.
Another very important point to remember is that if you aren't happy, make the attempt to change your routine. If you aren't a partier, maybe make the attempt to go out with your roommates at least once and see if you like it. If you think you study well in your room, go to the library and see if you get more done there than you thought. Also, transferring schools is always an option. Let's say you stuck it out for the first semester or the entire year and you just really are not happy at your school: the beauty of college is that you can change where you are. Maybe you started out at a small school close to home; apply to a huge school far away if you feel it will make you happier. Change may be scary, but it is also one of the joys of being an adult and being in college.
