I would say that I had a pretty successful freshman year. I joined an amazing Greek organization, formed a variety of friendships, fell in love with the city, and learned a hell of a lot about myself. It was the quintessential experience--some things I wish I would not have had to encounter and some life lessons I wish I would not have had to learn at such a young age, but also memories that I reflect on with friends and stories that I cannot wait to tell when I am older.

While some aspects of that year were unique to my own situation, I would classify it as a pretty relatable time.

So to the freshmen, as they head off to orientation, get in my way in Kogan, and make the line at the deli unbearable...

Don't bite off more than you can chew.

You are going to want to get involved in anything and everything. Your roommate is going to recommend you join an obscure cultural organization's LISTSERV with her, and you are going to keep getting emails about it until you unsubscribe your junior year. Leadership opportunities will present themselves, and it will be you versus every other freshman who is going to take the plunge. Greek life happens, and you will find classes that look really interesting that you never would have been able to take in high school. There are endless opportunities, and your freshman year is the time to explore. Just be careful not to overcommit. Do as much as you can while still taking time for yourself, your academics, and a social life. When our RA made our (first) roommate agreement with us, she had us prioritize our room space by ranking social, study, and sleep. I don't think we ranked sleep first. That was the first of many important realizations in terms of balancing life.

You are not in college to go through the motions of academia.

While it is important...maybe essential...to factor academics into the "Don't bite off more than you can chew" mentality, there is more to college than the classroom. You would be remiss if you thought you could have the best four years of your life by taking 18 credits a semester, spending every single night studying, and going to bed by 10 p.m.. College is nothing without the life you develop outside of your academic calendar. If you are hesitant about this approach, try out an internship to further your learning while getting away from the mundane desks and blackboards (unless you are in the engineering school; they have enough money to have whiteboards).

People come into your life for different reasons.

You are going to lose a lot of friends from home solely because you aren't with them 35 hours a week anymore. You are going to make a lot of friends at school because you are living with them, pledging with them, partying with them, and studying with them. Looking back on my freshman year, the craziest thing is how long it felt, but how so much actually happened in just a three-month time period. You may make a new best friend and promptly lose them when you realize you didn't really have much in common, you got caught up in the moment, and your relationship is not worth sustaining. You may happen to have the best random roommate you could have asked for, someone who ends up being your confidante for years to come. In typical college fashion, you will probably have more intimate relationships... Whether fleeting or long-term. Don't cry for loss. Everyone you encounter will have an impact on your life, positive or negative, and you will do the same with them.

It is okay to screw up.

I can say this with confidence. It is going to happen. And it really is ok. The best education you will get is how to mess up, fix it, move on, and learn from it. Get it out of your system now, because when you are 35 and married with two kids, it will be a little late.

It's now or never.

It really is. Have you always wanted to take film photography? Do it. Want to join a dance group? Have at it. How rare is it that you are only responsible for yourself and are handed so many unbelievable opportunities? When it comes to making decisions, my dad always told me to think 10 years into the future and to ask myself which I would regret missing out on the most. Skip class to rally at the Supreme Court. Quit your job if you dread going that much. Strike up a conversation with someone you otherwise may not have. At the end of the day, it is your time. College gives you your time. And of course, college is not for everyone. A lot of my friends transferred or dropped out at the end of my freshman year. Some still don't really fit the college mold. But at least they are figuring that out and doing what is best for them--because now is the time to do that. This is supposed to be the time of your life. Only you can make sure that that is how these four years go.

My best advice is you do you and everything will fall into place.

Xoxo