Everyone tells you that time will fly by more and more as you get older. After my senior year of high school, I was pretty positive that I would never experience a year that went by that fast ever again.
Fast forward to now, finals week of my freshman year of college, and everything feels like a blur. You would think that not having class every day would make time creep by a little bit more, but that's not the case. Freshman year flew by. It feels like I was at orientation and moving into my dorm room four months ago. For any upcoming or potential freshman year of college students, hear me out: It is the fastest year of your life, and things are only going to start going by faster.
The year may have flown by, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn anything. Freshman year was full of all kinds of lessons that I probably would have never learned if it wasn't for the failures and successes of freshman year.
1. Your health is way more important than you think.
There are many nights when you will be tempted to eat just a bowl of cereal, a whole box of pizza, and sometimes even nothing for dinner. There will be nights when you think that getting two hours of sleep to study for a test is the right move. Now that we're older, our bodies are a lot more sensitive to what we put in, and how well or how poorly we are taking care of it. Learning to listen to my body and take care of myself was difficult sometimes, but it was a lesson worth learning.
2. You'll get a lot more out of college if you put a lot more in.
Don't avoid your professors, sit front row and listen to what they have to say. A lot of them can serve as valuable mentors or references for the future. Similarly, if you only put a little bit of work into your studies, your grades will reflect that.
3. Be careful who you open up to and become friends with.
Coming to college means plenty of new and great people coming into your life. It also means a few people coming in who probably don't need to. Before you decide to become BFFs with the first person or group of people who cross your tracks, remember your values and who you are and don't let other people convince you to become someone else or do anything that makes you uncomfortable.
4. Confidence is key.
If you already have relatively low self-confidence, coming to college can affect it even more, and chances are it probably will. Go into college confident, and always be confident in your individuality. If you are confident in yourself, you will enjoy the outcome of what you do so much more. Likewise, be confident when studying, taking tests, working out, or meeting new people. You won't regret it.
5. Say Yes.
Don't take this too seriously, but don't be afraid of stepping outside of your comfort zone when joining clubs, applying to organizations, going new places, trying new things, etc. (unless it isn't good for you or makes you uncomfortable). Every other freshman around you is struggling with the decision to step outside of their comfort zone, too, so why not give it a shot? You'll never learn what the world and people have to offer outside of your bubble if you don't step outside of it. Even if it doesn't turn out how you wish it would, at least it was an experience and at least you tried.
6. Be patient.
It may take time adjusting to college, it may take time to meet true friends, and it's going to take a lot of time studying to get that A. Don't rush anything. Enjoy the process and don't beat yourself up about anything that isn't happening the way you want it to.
7. Take time to find yourself.
In my downtime in college, I was definitely able to assess who I really am, what my goals really are and what I need to do to achieve them. If you forget to take care of yourself or don't allow yourself to have a night alone every now and then, you will lose sight of everything you are working towards, as well as yourself.
8. Be you.
If you're expecting to make friends that will truly make you happy and that will last past your college years, the best way to find them is to be yourself. Real friends will like you for who you are and will accept that, and they will never try to influence or convince you to be someone else. We're outside of middle and high school now, so if people are judging you for who you truly are, they really don't belong in your life.
9. Pursue your passions.
Pretty soon (at least three years, how scary is that?) we will be out in the real world with real jobs and real responsibilities, and adulting will be taken to a new level. Now is the time to chase your dreams and do what you love; you don't want to look back and wish you did earlier.
10. God's got your back.
When you're having a 2 a.m. meltdown because you have so much homework and studying to do and you feel like nothing can make you feel better, nothing soothes the soul like pulling out God's word. He is the ultimate provider of peace and satisfaction, so just give all your worries to him, and He will take care of it.