When I moved into my first college dorm to begin my freshman year, I was bombarded with ideas and expectations. From "don't go home every weekend" to "make sure you socialize your head off," I was confident my first year of college was going to be the worst for my homebody, introverted self. That was until I realized that you are the one who gets to decide how well your freshman year will go, no matter how many times you go home, how many friends you make or how great your grades are.
It's okay to go home.
It's common knowledge that going home every weekend, or most, is not exactly the "cool" thing to do. If you're as close to your family as I am, you want to be home as often as possible, even if it's just to decompress and get ready for the next week. It gets easier to stay as time goes on, but when you aren't doing anything all weekend, you might as well be at home with your family if you want to be.
You don't have to make hundreds of friends.
In my three years of college, I have learned that I would rather have a few great friends than a ton of decent friends. I would rather have close friends who I trust and enjoy being with than have a huge group of friends who probably don't know any personal details about me. When you first go to college, you're told that you'll meet your lifelong friends and while that may be true, it's okay for that to be a small number.
Alone time is important, and sometimes necessary.
When I first moved off to college, I wasn't used to being by myself. When my roommate would go to class, I (a person who loves being alone!) would feel lonely and constantly wait for her to be back. Over the past three years, however, I've realized that I'm the kind of person who needs alone time whether it's to do homework or simply recharge from being around people in class all. day. long. You aren't a total loser if you want to be alone sometimes.
It's okay if you struggle in classes.
Your college GPA could make or break your chances of getting a good job in the future. I was so worried when I started college because I was not the type to study or even try in high school, but college was a different story. I thought that I had to get a 4.0 to make it anywhere in this world. It was a huge wake-up call when I actually had to open up a textbook and make flashcards to make sure I knew the material before a big test. Thankfully, I've since realized that people commend you for making a good effort in your undergraduate career. College is hard, and it's an accomplishment in and of itself if you manage to get a degree.
