7 Things I Learned In My First Semester Of College

Going into your freshman year of college, you'll hear everyone telling you "Do the textbook reading," "Wash your dishes often," "Don't keep chocolate in your room," and "Monitor your Netflix time." All of these things are true, and they're wonderful advice, but you may also come to find a few other valuable truths about college by the time you get home for Christmas break. Here are seven that I have discovered.

1. Doing laundry is like Black Friday shopping.

It's every man for himself when it comes to laundry. There will always be people who leave their clothes in the dryer for days without coming back. There are also people who will take your clothes out of the dryer and throw them on the floor if you are even five minutes late to come get them. Regardless, you cannot always avoid the laundry room. When you start running low on underwear, panic may set in -- you know it's time.

2. Time is money.

Spend your time very wisely. If it's 10 a.m. and you have a paper due tomorrow, but you have a function at 8 p.m. tonight, start working on your assignment before the function! Pulling an all-nighter should be your last resort. Once you've finished it, you'll be able to enjoy your evening stress-free and ready to go.

3. Money is very, very valuable.

You always hear college students complaining about being broke, but you never knew the reality of this until you, too, were a college student. Try to space out your restaurant excursions, even if you can barely stand the dining hall another day, and, at all costs, avoid online shopping!

4. You won't stay friends with everyone you cling to in the first week.

It's okay to be friends with everyone you meet during orientation week. It's also okay to not stay friends with those people by the time finals come around. You won't always mesh with everyone you meet. THAT'S OKAY! You'll come across tons of people in college; understand that you'll like some and not like others.

5. Alone time is like finding a rare gem.

While it's great to be around people all the time and never run out of things to do, sometimes, it's nice to have a little time to yourself. Enjoy the moments of privacy that you may have. They are often few and far between.

6. Learn to like black coffee -- it's cheaper.

While you may love cream, sugar, and four pounds of caramel syrup in your coffee, you will quickly come to find that those things cost money. More money than you will have. The transition to black coffee may be horrifying at first, but in the end, you'll thank yourself. Your wallet will too.

7. Social media will make it seem like everyone is having a better college experience than you.

This is not true. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and whatever else you may use has made it all too easy for our generation to advertise the most exciting scenes of our lives. Keep in mind that no one puts the boring parts of life on display. Don't get so caught up in Snap stories and Instagram feeds that you forget that you're having a good time too. College is what you make of it. Make it great!