As my first set of finals finish, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my first semester at The Ohio State University. While it would be cliché for me to say I’ve changed in such a short amount of time, there are some general things I learned over the past few months:

1. You don’t have to do EVERYTHING.

As someone who was incredibly busy in high school, not having something to do every second of every day was confusing and stressful. As the weeks went on, I found ways to get involved and fill up that time. More importantly, I learned to not feel so guilty every time I had to say no to something. It’s important to remember that I will have plenty of time to be busy later.

2. Reach out to friends.

Starting off somewhere new is always difficult. It is important to reach out to new and old friends. In order to do this, it is important to put your ego aside and say hi. Everyone is busy and has new confusing circumstances in their lives, so waiting for other people to reach out is an unproductive way to live.

3. Spotify makes everything better.

As someone who used to dance, it was surprising how I had to remind myself that one song can change my mood for the day.

4. Don’t micromanage.

It is very difficult to not worry about the future. There’s a balance that one day I hope to find between planning for the future and living with less anxiety.

5. Exercise makes you happy.

After years of sports, it is hard to force myself to work out. But whenever I feel unlike myself, it is important to remember (as a quote from Legally Blonde explains), “Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy.”

6. You deserve this.

When you come to a school as big as Ohio State, it’s easy to be lost in how awesome everyone else is, from the nationally-honored athlete to the girl down the floor who organized a Make-a-Wish for a sick kid. It was hard but important to remember that I deserve to be here, too. I need to continue to not shy away from my interests, like writing about politics, and not hide behind doubt.