There is a certain confidence that radiates from college students as they successfully surpass their freshmen year and transition into upperclassmen (*cues heavenly music*). Aside from the better parking, the real perk of being an upperclassman is the bragging rights. Suppose you’re at a grocery store donning your university’s T-shirt and the cashier dare asks you, “Are you a freshman there?” Offended, your face crumples in disgust and you retort, “Excuse you? I am an upperclassman, you imbecile.” Okay, maybe you’re not that harsh, but you get the picture. My point is that I am guilty of exuding this superiority. However, as a junior with third-semester Spanish slaughtering my brain cells, I’ve come to realize that I miss freshman year.

"What, seriously?" Yes.

I miss the good ‘ole days when my biggest stress was College Algebra. I miss when I could binge-watch five episodes of One Tree Hill on a Tuesday night without the fear of my GPA taking a nosedive. I miss when the Real World was a terrifying entity so far away, when I was free to experiment with majors without postponing graduation by three years, and when it was socially acceptable to not have a lot of material on my resume. Unfortunately for me, those days are long gone, just like the pile of powdered donuts I devoured while typing this article. So what do I tell college freshmen that may be reading this? Embrace the challenges you’re going through right now.

It only gets worse from here.

Regardless if your major is bio-nuclear physics or basket weaving, the coursework grows more difficult as you progress through your college career. Yet, as an upperclassman, you’re confronted with a mountain of demanding school work plus pressure to figure out the trajectory for the rest of your life. As an upperclassman, you hear one word constantly: networking. This entails memorizing the perfect elevator pitch, filling out your LinkedIn profile and hunting for internships. Perhaps you’ve already been exposed to the power of networking, but this concept becomes more crucial as you grow closer to graduation.

Believe me, I’m not trying to downplay your current struggles. For all I know, your Biology course could be the worst thing since the last Transformers movie. Conversely, I can attest that you should not be in a rush to rid yourself of the freshman label. If anything, you should take advantage of the time that you have now. Research careers in your field to get an idea if it’s something you can see yourself doing. Join organizations on campus. Attend conferences, discover your passions, and connect with different people. As a junior, I wish I would have gotten more involved on campus when I was a freshman. I wish I had realized that membership then could translate into leadership positions now. I let my freshman classification deter me from seizing different opportunities.

Do not cheat yourself with this mindset.

College is stressful no matter your classification, yes, but to make things a little bit easier further down the road, utilize the time you have now. It is never too early to start planning your future. As cliché as it sounds, the time does fly. One day you are agonizing over your English 102 proficiency exam and the next you are writing a twenty-five page thesis in your last semester. Four years is not as long as it seems.

As a college freshman, you have the opportunity to learn from older people around you. You can prepare yourself for what’s to come. Enjoy it. Upperclassman status can surely wait.