You have your MyState app pulled up on your phone in one hand and your schedule in the other, trying your hardest not to look like "that freshman." However no matter how hard you try most likely almost all freshmen will make at least one "typical freshmen mistake." So here are the top six things I wish I would have known as a freshman.
1. Yes, upperclassmen sometimes do play "spot the freshmen."
I mean it is easy to spot when you are all sported in your DIS attire: the "freshman shirt," the lanyard, and the back pack. So if you want to be a covert freshmen, I recommend not wearing the shirt in central campus, and spend the money to get a different and better lanyard (they tend to break.)
2. Even though, upperclassmen may poke fun every now and then, we have all been there. 
We have all gotten lost st least once, or found ourselves on the wrong side of campus, because let's face it, Iowa State is pretty BIG. Or we have even gotten similar named buildings (Carver, Coover) confused with one another. However, I promise you it continues to get much easier to find classes, and familiar faces around.
3. It will start to feel like home... eventually.
Even if it does not seem like it now, or that some days you cannot wait for the next time you get to make the trip home. One day you will find yourself comforted by being back on campus, surrounded by people all within about five years of yourself. That kind of experience hardly ever happens, that is precisely why you should try your hardest to soak up every bit and piece of it.
4. It goes by faster thank you think.
It may sound cliche, but one day you find yourself knowing no one on campus and then next its the last day of summer break and you have to tell good-bye to all your friends. And hopefully, one day you will be lucky enough to make it as far as having to part ways with some of the greatest friends in the world on graduation day.
5. Don't lose yourself
With college comes very many twists and turns, that allows you to reexamine yourself, and your identity. However, do not forget where your roots are planted, and always remember you can come back home.
6. Everything will be okay.
No matter how many times you get lost, or how many times you almost fail a class, or even the number of times you change your major, in the end everything will be okay. Even though this is the most simplest lesson, it is one of the most important, so don't get too stressed, because no matter what everything will be okay.
Lastly, I hope all the current freshman, will not only experience a freshman year, but also graduation. I wish you the best of luck, and remember even when it seems tough do not give up. So have a great year and new experiences, and I especially hope the Iowa State class of 2020, the best freshman year ever!
