To whoever you may be:
Take a deep breath. Look around you. Soak it all in. What you know now and who you are now is going to change drastically—and that's okay.
Going to college for the first time can be nerve wracking, yet exciting at the same time. I know when I first left for college, I was super excited. I was finally getting out of the house, I was going to be more independent than ever before, and I was responsible for myself completely for the first time. I saw it as a fresh start. New friends, new school, new city, new everything. I couldn't wait.
While being excited is good, it's important to take time to live in the moment.
Spend time with you family, spend time with your friends, spend time with your pets, go out and eat at your favorite places, just focus on what's happening right now rather than what is going to happen. I made the mistake of not doing this, and it was one of my biggest regrets. The entire summer before college, I spent the most time either at work or with my boyfriend at the time.
You will face struggles during your first semester of college.
It's bound to happen. Something, whether major or minor, will come up that will be difficult to deal with. Just make sure that you handle it responsibly rather than doing something that may make things worse. You can do it. Trust and believe in yourself.
Not all of your friends will stay your friends.
Listen, I know it's exciting going off to college and making new friends. The truth is, some of the friends you make at the start won't remain your friends by the end. And that's okay. For me, I did a leadership camp a week before normal move in and I made so many friends and had a great friend group. That fell apart after a month and I felt so lonely. It didn't stop me from making more friends though. I still talk to some of my friends from freshman year to this day, one of them I even met on my first day of the leadership class. Don't let this discourage you from making friends, just know that if you do lose a friend or two, it's normal. It's not you. I promise you that.
Parties are fun, but you're at college for your academics first.
Oh yes, the college parties. You probably have seen movies with college parties or even been to one yourself already. They're fun, but they cannot be your priority. I will admit, I partied too much my freshman year, specifically my first semester. I went out five nights a week and stayed out until 2am. Not good for my academics. I barely went to my classes because I was too tired. I quickly learned academics come first, parties don't. There will always be another party, so don't let that FOMO get to you.
Go to class, even when you don't feel like it.
Like I said, academics are your priority. If you wake up and just don't feel like attending class, find the strength to get up and go. Even if you think it's an easy class, it's still worth going to. Just do it, you're paying for it anyways…right?
You don't know everything…yet…but you will.
You're not going to know everything by the end of your first semester or year, let alone know exactly what you want to do with your life. You might be thinking, "I do know what I want to do!" Well, you might, but most people don't. Plans change, interests change, you are always changing. I know for me I wanted to go into business management, then psychology, and now I'm set on doing marketing. It took me almost 4 years to figure that out. Everything will come to you when it's meant to. It might be confusing and stressful and you may feel like you really don't know anything, you will. Guaranteed.
Make the most of college.
Make academics your priority, but if you can and want, go have fun. Whether your definition of fun is partying or if it's being active in a club, do it! Being involved on campus is so beneficial! I joined Greek life, I started writing for Odyssey, joined Air Force ROTC, and even started a club up on my old campus that is still thriving! You probably have heard the saying that college is the best 4 years of your life, and that can be true if you make the most of it.
You will do great in your first year. You will learn so much about yourself and grow so much. It will all be okay. Work hard and you will be happy with the results! You've got this!
