The sound of the zipper as I closed up the last suitcase of my belongings had a distinct sense of finality to it. As I slid that final bundle of belongings into the back of my blue Volkswagen, the reality of what I was getting into finally began to hit me. I would be entering my final year of being an undergraduate. Mixed with my nervousness, I can’t help but feel accomplished. I know that few people have the privilege of going to college and getting a degree. I know that a lot of people will start college and be unable to finish. I can say I got close to that myself, sometimes.

With three years of college under my belt, I found myself reflecting on the many personal things I have learned being a college student so far during the long drive. Not everything comes out of a textbook, after all.

First, always take care of yourself before others. I don’t mean to say you are incapable of helping others when you haven’t helped yourself first. It’s important to remember your own health, mental or physical. Go to the health center on campus when you don’t feel well or make a doctor’s appointment. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, take a short break. Clear your head and then go back to whatever you were doing. It isn’t selfish to put yourself before others every once in a while; it’s smart. Don’t let yourself feel low.

If it helps, make time to do something for yourself every day. Sit and read a book, drink some good wine, go for a run, or do some yoga.

Find a comfortable place to relax. If you are having a bad day, it’s good to find a place you can go and recover. Whether that place is the chair in your room, a seat in the sand along the beach, or that comfy couch in the library.

This may seem obvious, but always remember to eat, take a shower, and sleep plenty of hours. It may seem like a great idea to stay up all night partying or binge-watching Netflix at first. When you have an 8 a.m. class the next morning and homework to finish, it isn’t the best idea. Trust me, it gets old at some point.

Try not to let your personal hygiene go. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I don’t shower every day I feel pretty awful, both physically and emotionally. It can be easy to let yourself go when things get busy. I can remember days where I was so caught up I felt I had no time to take care of my body. But trust me, it’s a good ting to do. I pulled myself up and took a quick shower. I felt so much better about myself afterwards, and I definitely got all my homework done then.

Jealousy is an ugly tendency. It's tempting to bring someone else down when their project looks nicer than yours or they got a better grade than you, but it isn’t worth it. If a classmate or friend has done something successful, put on a smile, congratulate them, and use their success as motivation for your own. You can do it too.

Besides, self-depreciation isn’t helpful either. Calling yourself trash and telling everyone you’re incapable of doing anything won’t get you far. If you keep telling everyone and yourself these things, they’ll start to believe you. It’s likely you’ll begin to believe yourself as well. Don’t ever be your own bully.

Finally, work with innovation, not always as hard as you can until you find yourself exhausted. While being a hard worker is a great thing, it can be tiring. Take breaks to find new ways to approach problems and they must just get easier to tackle.

For those of you not quite done with your college yet, keep on pushing through. Believe in yourself and be kind to others. It won’t be that bad, I promise.