This carefree summer has sped right passed us and is quickly shrinking off into the sunset while the new school year is coming at us, full speed ahead. These last few weeks, my friends and I have been trying to fit as much fun into our last days of (relative) freedom before the new semester runs us down. It has been so much fun taking off days from work just to go on adventures. In my downtime after all these fantastic days spent with my friends, I can’t help but think about how lucky I am to have them. If it wasn’t for them, I probably would have jumped overboard the college ship by now. I was fortunate enough to meet some of my best friends within the first few months of my freshman year of college. We all happened to live on the same floor, and we all happened to match each other’s weird. Two years later and we are still close friends. Here’s something I never thought I would say. I actually sympathize with the freshman that are starting college this fall. I want to pass on some of my advice before they start their college journey.

The first friendships you make in college are the most important. They can make or break a college experience. Finding those people that you just click with is probably the best experience you’ll have while you are away from home. College is a time when you are still trying to figure out who you are. Everyone feels lost whether they want to admit it or not. All incoming students have the same ultimate goal to make friends. But that can be hard when everyone is too afraid or shy to talk to each other. My best advice is to let go of all that social anxiety and just be yourself. The good friends will gravitate towards you. College is way too important to be wasting time with people who only send out bad vibes. You need friends that will support you personally and educationally. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that you can always have someone to go with you to Walmart at midnight just to pick up a pint of The Tonight Dough.

Ultimately, your time in college is what you make of it. If you are one of those people that likes to study all day, everyday without seeing the sunlight, that is your call. If you just like to party, that’s also up to you. But it always helps when you have the right people surrounding you. I was lucky enough to find my friends early, and I am even more grateful that one of them is now my roommate. Through finals and breakups, we have been there for each other and I think that is what made college thus far so memorable. So to the incoming freshman, keep an open mind. Don’t try to fit into the popular crowd if that’s not you. The best crowd is your own crowd. And if your crowd loves you and sticks by your side—not just through your successes but also through your failures—your years in college will seem less like a train wreck and more like the greatest road trip you will ever take.