Fall Welcome Weekend here at Loyola is quickly approaching. Student leaders are already back on campus for training, some first years have already moved in for pre-fall programs, and things are beginning to pick up pace. And while we're all preparing for first years to arrive, some seniors are already getting emotional about their senior-status -- and for good reasons. For a lot of seniors that I know, this is a stressful year. It's time to wrap up their undergraduate career and figure out their future. That's some scary stuff.

So, in the spirit of this time of the year, I asked some Loyola seniors "what do you wish you knew going into your first year?"

1. "You don't have to find your friends the first month or few months of school. Friends change each year through activities, living situations, and going abroad. It's an amazing part of college, how friendships grow and you grow."

2. "I wish I knew how advantageous the pre-fall programs are to having a kick-start at Loyola."

3. "You are capable of more than you believe you are."

4. "Get involved early on because those connections and friendships that you make will take you far and last a lifetime."

5. "I wish I had known that it was perfectly okay to have negative experiences... Losing friends or not getting along with roommates or not doing well in a class. Everything happens for a reason and you become stronger with each and every up and down that comes along, allowing for yourself to grow and change into a better version of yourself."

6. "Don't try to change who you are to fit in. There's a reason you are the way you are and you shouldn't try to change that just so you can fit the perception of who you think you should be."

7. "College is your time to figure out who you want to be and how to accomplish that, even if it's not how you expected to be doing that. You just have to keep an open mind and don't be afraid to take risks."

Thank you to the amazing seniors who helped me with this article!