The college experience is different for everyone — some take time off, others chose to attend community college first to figure out what direction to take, others go to their dream college they’ve wanted to attend since they could remember. For me, I always knew I wanted to go to college and further my education, but these last two years of school have really morphed me into the person I want to be.

When I graduated high school, I went to a university that wasn’t right for me. I cringed as I saw everyone else posting on every social media how they are in love with their school and having the time of their life, while I was not. So I weighed the pros and cons and chose to transfer to a university I dreamed of going to. For awhile, I looked at this chapter as a failure, but what I learned from leaving one school for another was that I am capable of acknowledging and leaving situations that aren’t right for me. With that being said, here are 7 greatest lessons I’ve learned in college thus far.

1. It’s not always going to be rainbows and butterflies.

Things are not always going to go our way and how we handle that defines who we are.

2. An open mind is a necessity.

You are constantly surrounded by different views, ideologies, beliefs, and thought processes that it is vital to be open to hearing things that don’t go hand in hand with your own thoughts.

3. A planner is your best friend.

4. There’s no perfect balance.

Between academics, clubs, work, a social life — one may suffer more than the other, but you have to evaluate your opportunity costs when making decisions. Sometimes skipping that night out will benefit you in the long run when studying for your exams.

5. Be a good person, be a better friend.

All we really have in this life is who we are, so why not choose to be loving, kind, and compassionate? Being a good friend who is there for others is a beautiful thing and can lead to a lifelong friendship.

6. Failure is part of the process, enjoy the ride.

We won’t win them all; we are going to fall down countless times. We are going to be rejected, but we need to take all those lessons we learned during those failures and apply them to our future actions.

7. The most important one I’ve learned is you don’t have to know it all right now.

I don’t know exactly what I want to do or how I want to do it. I’m learning along the way.

College is where we grow and become who we are, so we can’t take it too seriously. Just work hard and get your degree and make amazing memories in the meantime.