So you finished your first semester of your sophomore year of college. How crazy is that?

By this point, you've probably finished most of your GenEd classes, shed a few tears through the process of changing your major (maybe more than once), and you've found your friend group that you're going to be spending the next couple of years with. You've made some mistakes, and you've grown into a stronger person as you start to find out who you are and what you truly want in life. Surviving three semesters is definitely something to be proud of. If you were going to drop out, you would have already done so. So kudos to you.

It's scary to think about being halfway done. Almost two years until you're officially working in the real world. Almost two years since you've graduated from high school. Almost two years since you restlessly rushed your parents out of your dorm room so you could finally be living on your own. The past two years have been such a great experience, that you can’t even imagine what life will be like not being at college.

See, it's a funny thing when you're a sophomore in college. You're not on the bottom of the food chain like you were freshman year, but you also don't have enough knowledge or experience to call yourself a top dog. This is why it's called the "Sophomore Slump." Turns out it's a real thing. Your motivation starts lagging as you question if your major is really the right fit for you. The excitement of freshman year has worn off as you sink into the comfortability of college life and the reality that you're getting closer and closer to graduating. Sure, two years sounds like a long time from now. But think about how quickly freshman year, and now half of sophomore year, have flown by.

Now is the time to really enjoy college. Like really enjoy it. We are paying all this money to be here, so we might as well make it an experience to remember.

Go out to that party even though you have a test next week to study for, ask that cute guy in your class for his number, learn as much as possible in all your classes (even the GenEds), and just simply have a good time. We only get to be this age, at this period in time in our lives once. So as a wise man named Drake once said, “YOLO.”

Tell your friends you love them. Thank your parents for their support and care packages. Be the teacher's pet- you never know what that might get you.

In my three semesters as a college student, I've certainly had my ups and my downs. Here are just a few things that I have learned on this life-changing adventure:

1. Networking is everything. You can get so much farther in life by knowing the right people. Connections can become your employers, write you recommendation letters, and be your foot in the door for opportunities that may have not been previously available to you.

2. Take the free food any opportunity you can. Once you don't have a meal plan anymore, cooking meals for yourself can become quite the hassle. Not to mention expensive. So if you see an informational event being held on campus that is trying to appeal to you by offering free food, take the free food.

3. Listen to the RateMyProfessor ratings. I promise promise promise you they are helpful. A professor can really make or break a class, so getting one that is passionate about what they are teaching really will benefit you.

4. Employers actually do use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is like the professional version of Facebook. You can online stalk people to see their past work experiences, and let me tell you, your future bosses will be doing their research on you. So do yourself a favor and along with deleting those pictures from that crazy party last weekend off Facebook, take the time to sell yourself on your LinkedIn profile.

5. Your college friends are going to be your friends for a lifetime. The friends you make at college you are meeting at a very vulnerable time in your life. You're surrounded my newness, and so are they! By banding together and swearing to take on this new experience together, you are creating a bond that will be unbreakable and everlasting. So make sure you constantly let them know how thankful you are for them.

6. You will get homesick. No matter how ready you thought you were to be on your own, you will miss your parents and those pesky siblings of yours. Thank goodness for FaceTime and family group chats so you can quickly be reminded again of how relieved you are to be out of your house! It’s okay to miss your family though, they are certainly missing you too.

Here’s to many more lessons to be learned and making the most of these next five semesters!