1. The Freshman 15 is a very real thing.

DO NOT LET PEOPLE CONVINCE YOU OTHERWISE. EVEN WITH ALL THE WALKING YOU DO AROUND CAMPUS, IT DOES NOT EVEN OUT THE PAPA JOHN'S PERSONAL PIZZAS YOU CONSUME. But seriously, try your best to work out and eat somewhat healthy. Which leads me to my next point...

2. You will get sicker in the first four months of college than you've been in the last four years.

Not only is your mind undergoing tons of stress trying to adjust to pretty much a whole new life, but so is your body. It's adapting to irregular sleeping patterns, eating pizza or Chick-Fil-A almost every day, little activity besides walking to and from class, etc. Overall it's a mess. So, try to eat healthy. Your body will thank you, I can guarantee it.

3. You will get rejected from lots of things, and that's okay.

For me, my university is comprised of 60,000 students, but at every orientation or tour they'll say, "Get involved! There's 1,000s of organizations to join on campus!." This is both true and false. Yes, there are 1,000s of student organizations that run the gamut in terms of areas of interest. But no, it is not as easy as some make it sound to join one. There are quite literally hundreds of people you're competing against for very few spots per organization. The organizations aren't necessarily to blame, as they can't just accept everyone that applies. On the other hand, you'll start to notice that the same groups of people are all in several selective organizations. Like it or not, it isn't too different from high school—the "cool" and "outgoing" people get in, leaving little room for everyone else. Again, this isn't necessarily on purpose; many organizations really do pride themselves on giving everyone a fair chance and not letting outside opinions or previous knowledge influence them. All that being said, you will get rejected. It's almost a guarantee. I can also guarantee that the first few will hurt, and hurt bad. You feel like you're doing everything you can to meet people and make friends and get the total college experience, and none of it is good enough. Not true. It may sound cheesy but take your time. You're only a freshman. You have three years to meet people and form lifelong friendships. The right organization or church or group of people will find you, I promise.

4. Be as proactive with your studies as physically possible.

The first few weeks you feel pretty good, like you're sort of getting the hang of it and then BAM—midterms strike. College is hard. That's pretty standard knowledge, but you don't truly comprehend the accuracy of such a statement until you're in it. What really hit me hard was the pace at which things moved. What I learned in a month in high school is condensed to a week in college. You HAVE to keep up. It is so much easier to be ahead of the game than to try and catch up. The material is harder, the professor is obviously an expert in the field and teaches as such, and you have to balance four or five of these classes at one time. Don't worry so much about your grades. That 4.0 you kept in high school will be a distant memory by the end of your freshman year. No one expects you to get a 4.0. Very few students can accomplish this, so please relieve some of the pressure you will put on. Of course still try your best and stay proactive, but it is normal to get a C in chemistry or accounting or pretty much any other class in college.

5. Do not believe Instagram.

Ooooooh Lordy do I have to say something about this. INSTAGRAM IS A LIE. IT IS A BOLD FACED LIE. College kids are infamous for posting "perfect" pictures at every social event ever. I have witnessed girls going to Northgate just for the purpose of getting a good Insta pic or to post something on their snap story. The purpose of social media is to look like you're having the time of your life every day. That you've met your best friend within a week of college. That you danced with the cutest Frat dude at Harry's. That you just had the most spiritual experience in your Eno in the middle of campus. It is fake. No one's lives are true to what they put on social media. Everyone is just trying to impress everyone else. So stop envying the girl in a choker who found some football player at Icon. Just stop. It's not as fun as she's making it appear I promise. Everyone is just trying to figure things out.

6. Give yourself a break.

Your first semester is honestly one of the toughest periods of your life. There's so much change you won't even know where to start. If you're like me, you won't have a lifelong bestie at your side to help you through it. You won't have your dog to greet you after a tough midterm. You won't have your family just a few feet outside your door to talk to or watch TV with. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. It's hard. It's scary. It's lonely at times. But things will get better, I promise. It's not gonna happen all at once and it's not gonna be one quick fix. But slowly, you'll start to feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. The tests aren't gonna get easier and finals week will always be hell, but you'll find your niche. I think that's the best way to define your college experience: finding your niche. It's not gonna be easy, but it'll happen. You have to give people and things a chance. Step outside your comfort zone, and if it doesn't work out, at least you tried. Take that interest you had in high school that you shared with maybe 40 other people in an organization, and translate it to college where there are hundreds of other people with similar interests. One old adage that remains ever-so-true is that college is about finding yourself. You'll figure out that, ya know what no, I don't have to put up with people I don't like just because we have mutual friends or whatever. You'll figure out what time management strategies work for you and how you can finesse them. You'll figure out just how much you cherish a home-cooked meal and your own bathroom. You'll figure out who you really are and how you want to live your life. That midterm grade isn't gonna matter in four years. You throwing up in the middle of Northgate won't matter in four years. You crying after wiping out on your bike isn't gonna matter in four years (believe me, I speak from personal experience on that one). So please, cut yourself some slack.

All this being said, college is exciting. I know I pretty much just ragged on every aspect of college, but it really is some of the best years of your life. I'm assuming you've worked countless hours to get into whatever university or college you end up at and those were hours well spent. You have hundreds or even thousands of people outside your dorm room who are excited to be there, excited about their major, excited about meeting new people, excited about pretty much everything. Feed off of that. Don't let four years go by without once feeling excited about something because it truly is an exciting time in your life. Don't look down upon things because they're "lame" or "immature" or "a waste of time". Get in that freaking bouncy house that for some reason is in a field on campus. Get excited!