I know from experience how daunting your first semester at college can be. You’re alone in a new place where you don’t know anyone, with new responsibilities piling up. First, you have to figure out how to get your sometimes mountains of homework done. Perhaps you juggle a job or work study position. Or maybe you are in sports or have a music scholarship to keep up with. Oh and there’s a little thing called sleep you need to squeeze in too. The good news? You’ll survive. You’ll get better at managing your time and figure out a way to make it all work. Practice makes perfect. And hopefully these tips will help too. So take a step back, breathe, and relax. You’ve got this!

1. Make a schedule.

Whether you use your phone, computer, or a good old fashioned planner, you need to keep track of all the things that are going on. Write down due dates, appointments, assignments, and schedules. Worried you might forget that meeting with your adviser? Set an alarm on your phone reminding you the day of the appointment.

2. Manage your time.

It’s also easy to get distracted or procrastinate, trust me I know, so it’s sometimes helpful to write down a schedule every morning. Write down that you will study for two hours and then work on your paper for another hour, and set alarms. That way one assignment won’t get neglected and you won’t be rushing to finish it at 3 am.

But don’t just schedule when you’re going to do homework. Put in some time for you too. But instead of doing it before your homework, do it afterward. Sort of as a reward. Finish that paper you’ve been working on for two hours? Then watch an episode of Netflix (I know it’s hard to stop at one but try!) I know personally that it can be hard to work on something for three hours straight. So do mini breaks in between. Been working for an hour? Grab a snack, check your Instagram, stretch. Anything to give your brain a break!

3. Be whomever you want to be!

College is a blank slate. Everyone hasn’t known you since kindergarten, and no one knows that you used to wear Crocs everyday for three years. Now is your chance to be who you want to be. Are you tired of being known as the “quiet” girl? Then be loud! You can create your own identity.

4. Make friends.

I know that for some people, including me, having to meeting a ton of new people at once can be kind of scary. You worry about people liking you, if you’re going to fit in, and if you’re going to make good friends. But guess what? The nice thing about starting college is that everyone is in the same boat. You don’t have to try and join friend groups that have known each other for years. My advice? Go out of your comfort zone. Leave your door open when you’re in your dorm, I met a ton of people by literally just doing that. People will just pop in and start a conversation with you. Don’t sit by yourself in the caf at lunch, ask if you can join a table. Most colleges have a ton of events for freshmen, go to them! They’re free, and what broke college student doesn’t love free things? If parties are your thing, go to them! That’s just another way to meet people.

5. Get involved.

Colleges have so many clubs and committees that you can join. And in the first few weeks of school, your college email account will be flooded with invites to check out art, church, volunteer, and sports clubs. If something sounds interesting, check it out! Going to one meeting or open house doesn’t mean that you are stuck going to it all year, if you go and you hate it, then don’t go back. But if you go and you love it, then you have a great way to spend your time and meet people. Plus, being in clubs can teach you a lot of good skills like leadership, event planning, and teamwork which employers will value in the future.

6. Make time for yourself.

College can be and is overwhelming at times. Your days are jam packed with school, work, clubs, and friends. But you also need to make time for yourself or the stress of everything can lead to you having a late night breakdown shoveling in a pint of ice cream while your roommate tries to calm you down. Whether it be going to the gym, watching an episode of your favorite Netflix show, or just taking a nap, give yourself an hour or two a day to be by yourself and unwind.

7. To go Greek or not to go Greek? That is the question.

TV hows and movies make Greek life seem like it’s just a bunch of bimbos and wild frat boys getting together to get wasted and act stupid every night, but at most schools that is not the case. Many schools, mine included, have sororities and fraternities that focus on philanthropy, sister and brotherhood, and having a great group of friends whom you can trust and be yourself around. There are socials with the other sororities and fraternities where you play games or have things like movie nights. There are philanthropy events you get to help plan, trips to apple orchards or ice skating,and the bonds you make with your sorority sisters and fraternity brothers. Plus, Greek life students often have higher GPAs than non-Greek because there are GPA requirements and study groups. Are there parties? Of course, it is college after all, but that is one of the smallest parts of Greek life, and you won’t be pressured to go or drink if you don’t want to. Another perk of going Greek is that it gives you connections throughout your life. Once you graduate, you can get employed by your fraternity or sorority, and it can help you to get jobs and connections with alumni employers. I recommend giving it a shot, even if it doesn’t sound like your thing. Go through recruitment, and even if you decide to not to join, it’s another great way to meet people.

8. The freshman 15 is very real.

The one thing we all dread the most about college. The freshman fifteen. The bad news? It’s pretty easy to get it. The good news? There are ways to avoid it. College cafeteria food is about one step up from high school cafeteria food. And you’re stuck eating it two to three times a day. Yay. A lot of the food is either strange, gross, or served so often you get sick of it. And usually the one thing they get right is the desserts. Of course. And a lot of the food that is actually good is fried, fried, fried. It is also tempting to get a break from the caf food by eating out a ton. However, there are healthy options. You just need to be mindful that some seemingly harmless foods can be jammed pack with calories. A lot of schools post the nutrition information for everything on the menu in the caf or online. It doesn’t hurt to check those out. And it’s okay to eat unhealthy sometimes, just don’t do it everyday unless you want the freshmen fifteen! Also, don’t forget to get in a little exercise! If you like to run, run a few times a week. If you’re like me and hate straight up exercising, most colleges offer things like Zumba and yoga for free that are a fun way to stay fit without feeling like you’re exercising.

9. Sleep is your greatest friend and enemy.

Ah sleep, something every college student treasures. Between late night study sessions and eight a.m. classes, you try to make the most of the little you get. Before coming to college, I could never take a nap, now I sneak them in whenever I can. I know it will be hard, but try to get as much sleep as you can, trust me you’ll need it. It’s fine to miss a class or two, I’ve done it. Sometimes you just have to sleep or there’s a really important paper you need to finish. But always email your professor before class letting them know. Try to get to bed as early as you can. You’ll be no use if you either sleep through class in your bed or at your desk.

10. Don’t overwhelm yourself.

College is stressful, don’t make it even more so. I know people who for their first semester took super hard classes because they had declared their major and were worried about finishing it in four years. I also know people, like me, who came in undecided but had a few ideas. Guess who was happy with their decision? Even if you are pretty sure that you know what you want to major in, I suggest going in undecided, because it is very likely that major will be changed. I have seen people have complete breakdowns because they want to switch their major but don’t know if they can finish in four years if they do. I’m still listed as undecided even though I’m pretty sure I know what I’m majoring in. I suggest going in with an open mind. Take one or two classes for the major you think you want, along with a gen-ed and a class or two that just sound interesting. Or if you have absolutely no clue what you want to do when you first get to school, don’t sweat it. Maybe get a few gen-eds done or just take classes that interest you.