So summer has officially arrived here in Lubbock, Texas and I cannot be more thankful for a break! No more mountains of school work or stress drinking coffee for finals. An entire holiday to sit back and relax, well sorta. Coming home for summer after your first year of college is different, to say the least. Your siblings forget you're home and that um you are still are apart of the family. All that packing and unpacking just to load-up and pack it all up again.

After looking at all the memories I have packed away and seen my final grades posted as a freshman this past year, it got me thinking, college did not go as planned. So for the hyper-planner, that is often scary but it doesn't have to be, instead, it can be exciting. So here are the 10 things I learned as my first year in college came to a close.

1. You cannot coast.

In high school, I got away with this all the time in classes. I worked hard and was dedicated but I never really had to put my nose to the grindstone to problem solve when it came to school work. Somethings in life things WILL NOT come easy and that's okay. A little bit of hard work never hurt anyone.

2. FOMO is REAL!

Just because everyone is going out, or hanging out with different friends, and having a night that does not include you does not mean that your friends do not love or care about you. FOMO or the fear of missing out is so so real in college, I never thought I would get caught up in it. It is especially hard to avoid those feelings with everything is being posted on social media, but I swear they love you just as much and its okay if you miss a night out to get that grade in the class.

3. C's get degrees.

Never in a million years did I think I would be owning this line. I was the straight-A kid in high school; I always had good grades and was well researched. In college what I have learned is that we all have our gifts and talents and sometimes, math is just not your thing, well it's not my thing. Getting a C or even a B does not constitute me as a failure. It shows that I tried my best and did all I could. It taught me that working hard sometimes includes asking for help.

4. It's not like the movies.

You come to college with this grand idea that it will happen exactly like every other college movie you have seen. You will join Sigma Apple Pie, make awesome friends, and get the grades without any sweat or tears. This is all wrong, sorta. Going Greek is great and has brought me some of my greatest friends but, life is life. You will have to work hard to get the grades and trust me there will be plenty of tears shed.

5. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Rome was not built in a day, and your GPA won't be either. You have to put in the time and work to see the results pay off in the long run. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn, considering I can't always see the big picture. Just trust the process and everything will work out the way it's supposed to.

6. ASK FOR HELP!

This is a big one! You are finally away from home, parents, and a world full of demands. But entering the threshold of college you are now apart of a whole new world of demands. It's okay to ask for help whether it be on homework or projects for organizations. Asking someone to lend a hand does not constitute you as being weak. You are stronger when you are able to humble yourself and ask someone for guidance.

7. It's okay to not be okay.

This world is a big adult place and you cannot forget you are a brand new 18-year-old adult. Life is going to throw you curve balls and your life cannot be charted out by every second of the day. Sometimes its okay to take a minute and breath or even cry. As long as you have someone to help pull you up by your bootstraps after it will all be alright.

8. Seek accountability.

You are finally on your own, away from the structure your parents once provided. That's just it, you are no longer living a world with mandatory rules and a sense of structure. You, thats right YOU are your own accountability. Find someone or something that holds you to higher standards.

9. Be involved.

Getting involved will make or break your college experience. You do not have to join 700 clubs in the first semester but I encourage you to find at least one and stick with it. When you are able to get involved within your university or college you are leaving a positive impact on your community which will transpire into positivity in the classroom, your course work, and overall attitude.

10. BE YOU!

I cannot stress this enough. College is a time where everyone is being molded and shaped for the rest of your life. Why be molded into something you are not and why try to fit in when we were all born to stand out. Being you, and being the best version of yourself is all one can hope for.