When you're a college freshman, you think you know everything. You're eighteen and living on your own. I promise you, though, you don't. At least I know I don't. Being in college for about a month teaches you so many things, but here are some of the most important ones.
1. The freshman fifteen is real.
You might think "that isn't going to happen to me," but trust me it will. You don't realize it until you're eating junk food in your bed at 1 A.M. Don't worry though, because more than likely your college has a rec center where you can go work out. Take advantage of it because, it's free to you as a student, so you might as well use it.
2. Just because school started at 8 o'clock for 13 years of your life doesn't mean 8 A.M. classes are a good idea.
I don't have any 8 A.M. classes, and that's probably a good thing because I can barley get up for a 10 A.M. Even if you're a morning person, don't do it. You'll probably be up late for one reason or another, and getting up at 7 the next morning isn't what you want to do.
3. Dressing up isn't a thing at college.
I learned this the first day of classes. Nobody cares about dressing up. They just don't, unless they absolutely have to for an interview or something. This is such a nice change from high school, where some girls thought they were going to New York Fashion Week instead of math. You can catch me on the concourse wearing Nike shorts and a big t-shirt every day.
4. The people you meet on the first week won't immediately be your BFF's.
I met so many people my first week of college that I haven't talked to since then, and that's okay. You just have to find people to surround yourself with who will be there for you. You might also become friends with the most unexpected people. For example, in high school, I never thought I could be friends with a sorority girl because of what society makes us think they are like. Now, some of the nicest and most caring people I know are girls in sororities. Making new friends is also important because as much as you don't want to admit it, you most likely won't see your high school best friends everyday like you used to (especially if they move to a different state), and that can cause you to grow apart.
5. Phone wallets are the best invention known to man.
I don't know about other colleges, but at Auburn, basically everyone has a phone wallet on his or her phone case. They are so convenient, and I can't believe I'd never gotten one before orientation. You don't want to be THAT freshman that walks around with the Vera Bradley lanyard attached to a matching coin purse. Just grab a phone wallet, which you could get basically anytime an organization is handing out free stuff (no seriously, I have about 10 of them) or from the bookstore, stick it on your phone, and boom you're good to go. License, student ID, debit card/cash. All in one place.
6. DON'T WAIT UNTIL A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE TO START STUDYING!!!
Last, but certainly not least, don't procrastinate. You might think you understand what's going on in the class and don't need to study that much, but you're wrong. You don't want to study the night before and end up lying on your bedroom crying because college is so overwhelming. Not that that's ever happened to me...
Even though it's only been a month, I can definitely tell you these will be the best years of your life.
