College is a time for growth and figuring out who you are as a person. It’s filled with new classes, new professors, and new adventures. College is definitely the time for people to learn new things, whether those things come from a professor in a class or are just learned through trial and error. Here are five things you’ll learn while in college.

1. You won’t make friends with the first people you meet.

When you first arrive at college you’ll run into hundreds of people and I can promise you the first people you meet will not become your best friends. You will most likely meet hundreds of people. Don’t worry about finding a large group of friends right from the beginning because at the end of the day you will most likely end up hanging out with a small group of friends.

2. You’ll find your niche.

Entering college can be a scary experience and you may ask yourself, will I fit in? I can assure you that you will. There is some club, sport or group that you will feel right at home with. Everyone enters college feeling lost and out of place, but I can promise you that there is something for everyone.

3. College isn’t all blissful.

On television college is viewed as a perfect world with little to no problems. In all truth, that is the farthest thing from the truth. The reality is you’re going to face problems. Whether you are going through a hard class, having friendship problems or even relationship problems, there will be times when you feel like the world is just not going your way, and that’s okay. I promise things will always get better.

4. You will miss home.

Missing home doesn’t show weakness, it’s just part of human nature. The first time I went home after a month at school I felt out of place. Everything felt very unusual, but when I laid in my own bed I knew I was at home. It was even hard to leave that Sunday. Part of me wanted to go back, but the other half wanted just another few days at home. I knew that when I went back to college I would be missing my own bed, my own shower and my family (and dog). One of the most important things that you will learn in college is that it’s okay to miss home. Home is where you grew up, and you’re supposed to miss it. That’s just part of growing up.

5. You’ll learn how to be flexible.

Being a college student means that your days are most likely not planned out. One minute you’re in class and the next minute you are chilling in a friends dorm. Being flexible is an important quality to have while you are in college. Things won’t always go as planned and it’s important to be able to go with the flow. College is an amazing time and you will most likely learn a lot more than just five things, but these are just the five things that I have learned so far.