Your first semester is quickly approaching. Many of your friends are finding out what halls they are living in and worrying about if their roommate will be cool to live with or not. Meanwhile, you are in this awkward state of "do I live like how I did in high school since I'm commuting or what?" That is quite normal. Your orientation leaders probably didn't have much advice for you other than to make the most out of your experience (really helpful when you don't know how) and you probably got set up with a Commuter Ambassador, but you don't really know the right questions to ask. As a sophomore who didn't understand how to get the most out of my freshman year as a commuter, here are ten steps you can take so you can rock your freshman year as a commuter.

1. Know your school's parking lots.

This map will be your Bible during the school year. Some parking lots will fill up very quickly, so if you don't start until 11:00, you might not get there in time to grab a spot, which definitely induces panic. Know this map so when you can't find a parking space in one area, you can go to another parking lot, which might be a little more of a hike, and then catch a bus. Besides, a little exercise never hurt anyone.

2. Always make sure to keep a spare set of earbuds in your car.

Remember when our parents wouldn't allow us to walk around with earbuds so we would interact with the world? College is the exact opposite. Everyone wears earbuds, which saves us from embarrassing social interactions. Don't get me wrong, interaction is great. But sometimes, its best to sit on the bus and stare out the window with earbuds on than to listen to conversations about who got the most wasted at parties.

3. Always keep a change of clothes in your car.

Because you are away from a fresh change of clothes a literally anything can happen, always have an extra set of clothes in your car. Especially if its raining, sometimes drivers won't be so nice and will think its funny to send a tsunami your way as they drive through a puddle. But if you have a change of clothes, it'll only ruin your day temporarily.

4. Always plan on getting to campus 40 minutes earlier than your class.

This sounds like overkill, but trust me, it's not. You never know when you will get stopped by a train, miss the bus, or all of the parking spots are taken. On days where everything runs smoothly, you'll have some downtime to review what was talked about in class. On days where everything goes wrong, you'll be thanking yourself for leaving that much earlier. I mean, who wants to be that one kid that comes in late? Not me.

5. Don't waste your money on a meal plan if you don't think you will need all of it.

Colleges love to shove meal plans in our faces and say that they are necessary for existence, but if you're a commuter, usually the meal plans are way too much as opposed to what you will actually eat. Save yourself the money and don't get suckered in. Instead, just keep track of how much food costs you a week and budget.

6. Branch out of your comfort zone.

In high school, what activities we were involved in kind of dictated who we hung out with. However, in college, you chose everything all on your own, even friends. As a commuter, its even more important to step out of your comfort zone to make friends because you are limited in how much you are on campus. So even if you are introverted, try your hardest to become a social butterfly!

7. Get Groupme.

Ah, Groupme; the glorious app that you will have crammed down your throats. Why is this app so important to your success as a freshman commuter? Groupme gives you the ability to stay connected with friends and group project partners without giving them access to your phone number or social medias! You will need to use this app for planning times with you groups to make sure nothing is done at the last second because you don't live at school. Groupme will end up becoming one of your best friends.

8. Plan for bad weather.

For students in states with bipolar weather patterns, its very smart to talk to one of your friends on campus about crashing at their place when the weather is about to get crazy. As some professors have said, most colleges are not geared towards commuters, so if you can't get to school, then it's on you. If you have a game plan for crazy weather, you'll never miss class due to weather!

9. Make friends with your professors.

Charlie is being a little dramatic here, but that's because he was in high school and being friends with your professors was "not cool". Meanwhile, as a commuter in college, befriending your professors is very important because sometimes you get lucky and they can be a little more lenient towards you about tardiness, especially if they themselves commute from a distance. Besides, in the future you might be able to count them as mentors and/or references for your career!

10. Don't let being a commuter get into your head.

The school is going to tell you that you're missing out as a commuter, but as you settle into the routine you'll realize that being a commuter is not that much different than living there, minus the super expensive dorms. You have to take a different approach, but you are doing what you think is best. Embrace that and you will rock your first semester as a freshman commuter!