You’re used to being at the top of your class and absolutely cleaning up at awards nights. You probably spoke at graduation (or are writing your speech as we speak, if you haven’t graduated yet). You have grown used to praise and awe every time you accomplish something new. I would be shocked if you weren’t voted “Most Likely to Succeed,” so you were the natural choice out of your high school to go to an Ivy League.

Don’t get too comfortable, though, because so was everyone. At least everyone at your future school. There’s nothing to take you down a couple pegs like strutting into class the first day feeling (as you’re used to) a bit smarter or accomplished. You always liked having an edge – being the smartest person in the room. That feeling is about to fade.

I’m not trying to scare you – I go to an Ivy and I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything in the world. But this is definitely one of those things that I wish someone had prepared me for when I was getting ready for college.

When you begin to pack for college, it is important to remember your pillow, your toothbrush, and the like. And it is important to leave your ego at home. Again, I say this not as an insult, but as someone who went through it herself. No one wants to meet your attitude at college – they want to meet you.

Definitely feel proud of your accomplishment of getting in. Take these next months before college starts to take it all in. But once you get there, remember that everyone is in the same boat. You’re all there, you all made it. Now it’s time to find out who you are beyond the books and exams.

College can be the time of your life if you come in with an open mind. You will have opportunities and experiences that will shape your future and build your character unlike any other time in your life. It is (for most people) the first time you will be away from home, learning to live on your own. You will learn to navigate around campus, manage your time, and find a balance between work and play.

An Ivy League university will offer you courses you never knew existed, challenges you never expected, and diversity that will truly enrich your four (or more) years. This diversity is not solely based on race and gender – it is the diversity of thoughts and perspectives offered by people with different backgrounds that are facilitated by the incubator that is an Ivy.

Family and friends from back home are used to you being the bright one, and they will not expect you to struggle at college (as you won’t either). Be prepared to hear “Oh, you go to an Ivy, you must be smart.” Smile politely and nod, because trying to convince them that you’re “just average” and “don’t know how you got in in the first place” is futile. They may not understand that now you have to study in order to do well because you are among kids who are right on par with you and they will wreck the curve in your classes.

“While the quality of education is paramount, so too is the environment surrounding that learning. A community of like-minded people with high aspirations will cultivate my ambitions and challenge me to never stop improving, both as a scholar and as a person.” Those are the last two lines of my supplemental essay for my application to the school I currently attend. This truly is what you can expect at an Ivy. Though at times you may feel inferior, you will be challenged to continually work harder and smarter.

If you’re the type of person that plans on attending an Ivy, it is safe to assume that you love a good challenge. My best advice would be that, above all, you must stay true to who you are. Recognize that you have unique talents and abilities that the person next to you doesn’t have, and vice versa.

There will be days where you wonder how you got in or if it’s the right place for you. But there will also be days where you aced an exam, landed a competitive internship, or had a new perspective to offer in a seminar. As with everything in life, it’s a balance, and you can only hope that you come out of college having grown as a person.