Your first year of college is a very interesting time. It's the time for you to learn about what you want to do with your life, but it's also a great time to learn about who you are and what you want. It can be tough, but you can do it.

1. Don’t go out every weekend

This may seem like a very attractive idea at the beginning and it can be fun…for a while. Going out every weekend is expensive and gets boring all too quickly. You WILL get burnt out. It took me a while, but I sure got tired of going out. Only go out on occasion and you’ll appreciate those nights much more than if you do it every single weekend. Nights in with your best friends can be even more rewarding than nights out with them.

2. Make sure you study

I never studied in high school. I never needed to. If you were like me, get some good study habits going before you get to college or you will crash and burn so quick. If you did study in high school, keep on with it. College can be so much more challenging than most of the high school classes you will take and you have to be on top of things to really succeed. You can do it, though. I believe in you.

3. The freshman 15 is real, but don’t worry about it

For the first few months of college, I completely thought this was a myth. I thought everyone was exaggerating and that they were just bitterly gaining weight and blaming it on freshman year. I was wrong. You will not make it to the gym as much as you think you will and there will be plenty of delicious options for you to eat always. However, live it up your first year and start to worry a bit more in later years. Starbucks and DQ were my weaknesses and I got to hang out with my friends when I went. Enjoy it your first year, and worry more about it later on. You only get to be a freshman in college once.

4. You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, but be a good roommate

There’s a misconception that whenever you get a roommate, no matter how different you are, you will inevitably become best friends. This can happen and does, but it WILL NOT happen to everyone. Expecting this to happen will lead you to much disappointment. My first roommate was a nightmare and I really thought we’d be best friends. I loved my second roommate. Through the roommate nightmares, I learned that you really don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, and sometimes it’s easier not to be.

But PLEASE do your part. Clean up after yourself and be respectful of the other person living with you. It may be the first time this was the case for you and you will still be learning, but just seriously try not to be a jerk. It seems to be strikingly hard for some people, but seriously, it isn’t that hard to be courteous. Others will thank you and you will thank you.

5. Work for what you want

The early bird WILL catch the worm every single time. Work as hard as you can for the things that you want. People will recognize that you are willing to go the extra mile and will appreciate that more than anything. You will learn more, you will get to do more, you will be the stronger person if you work as hard as you can to reach your goals. It always pays off in some way.

6. Step outside your comfort zone

No one ever grows within their comfort zone and the second you step out is when the memories happen. Sure you may screw up, but that’s what life’s about. Try new things and see what you like and what you don’t You may end up finding a love for swing dancing you never knew you had. All of the best things happen outside of your comfort zone.

7. People generally suck and it really sucks

Not everyone will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. That’s just a fact of life. However, it still sucks every time you think someone cares about you and they prove that they don’t. It will seriously never not suck. However, realize that you deserve better and move on without them in your life. It will improve by 1000% every time, guaranteed.

8. Learn your limits

In study time, food, sleep, and all else learn what you can handle and stick to it. There is a reason there are limits and life usually ends up being the most pleasant when you stick to that. You will likely overstep them at least once or twice, but after your third all-nighter in a row, it may dawn on you that this is not a good idea.

9. Surround yourself with like-minded people

Yes, Jeremy from down the hall who can shotgun a beer in 10 seconds or less may be the life of the party, but is he really who you want your parents to meet when they meet your friends? No? Probably not. Find people who have similar goals in life to you. For me, I have found a group that wants the best for themselves and will work hard to get that. They also support and encourage me as I go for it in my own life. Find the people that support you in getting to where you want, not those who hinder you in favor of a good time.

10. The people who are meant to stay in your life will make an effort to do so

The people who are meant to be in your life will work to stay in your life and will prove time and time again that they want to. You’ll never have to question that. Some people might say they want to, but never make the time for you. When someone acts like they don’t care, believe them. It’ll hurt at the moment to let them go, but you’re most certainly better off without them in the end.

11. Skip the guy and keep your friends

There will be guys that come around and make you think you’re interested. Maybe they actually are. Who knows? However, this year I learned that I would much rather spend time with my friends than some guy that might be interested in me at the moment. Real friends are forever and the right guy will come along eventually. Spend time with those who appreciate you and will help you get where you’re trying to go, rather than those who come and go with the tides.

12. Not everyone operates the same way you do

You will meet some of the most diverse and different people ever in college and not everyone will operate the way you do. You have to learn from this and respect it or else you’ll make yourself miserable trying to understand why everyone isn’t doing things the way you see fit.

13. Take the risk

If you don’t take the risk, you could miss out on the best opportunity of your life. I applied for a scholarship/job position this year that I thought I had absolutely no chance of getting. But, if I hadn’t, I would have never even been considered for the position. I ended up getting it and now I’m more than on track to start doing what I love right away. You’ll never know what you’re missing unless you take the risk and try.

14. Don’t worry as much what people think about you

Unless you go to a REALLY small campus, you will never know everyone on campus. So when you go out with your hair all sorts of screwed up, in sweatpants, and a hoodie, it really doesn’t matter who sees you. The only people that you should be worried about shouldn’t care about how you look or the stupid things you do anyway, so don’t stress so much about it. You’ll have much more fun when you don’t. Embrace the outfit.

15. Learn where to park and when

Parking on campus is a nightmare and I got more than my fair share of parking tickets this year. Know where you can park before you get on campus and make sure you get and maintain a parking spot. You will thank me later when it’s storming and you have to drive somewhere and you’re parked out in the middle of nowhere. There are certain times when it is easier to find a good parking spot. Take advantage of those and you will be set.

16. Appreciate your family

You don’t need to go home every single weekend (and I’d recommend that you shouldn’t), but appreciate the time that you do spend with them. They probably miss you a lot and these are the people that helped make you who you are and helped you to get to where you are. It may not be the “cool” option to appreciate your family, but for me, that really didn’t matter. I enjoyed seeing my family. Don’t forget about them when you go.

17. Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to do with your life yet

I changed what I wanted to major in 4 times before I got to college and had an official major change halfway through the year. I didn’t quite know where I wanted to be yet, but by the end of this year, I found it. I found a department that fits my goals and is really where I can see myself thriving. You may not find this right off the bat, but keep your eyes peeled and it could find you.

18. Don’t settle for less than what you deserve

In friends, in guys, in your education, in anything: make sure you’re getting everything that you deserve. Work for what you want and make sure you get it. You are the only thing standing in your way of working toward getting what you deserve. Maybe someone will treat you nice, but find the person that treats you excellent. I promise they’re out there.

19. Spend time on the things that make you more of the you that you want to be

OK, I’m not talking about gen eds here. Even though they suck, still take them seriously. However, spend your time on the things that make you the person you want to be. These will pay off and you will thank yourself later on for staying in and taking your time on a really cool project, rather than shaking your booty at a frat party.

20. Appreciate the small things

Appreciate the midnight Taco Bell runs and the Cards Against Humanity nights and the runs through the fountains and the really good movies you watched with your best friends. Those are the things that you will look back on and smile at later on. They may not seem like big moments, but they will be the ones that you never forget when you’re looking back on the good old days.

21. Don’t change who you are for anyone

As long as you are being authentically you, don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Those who are meant to be in your life will appreciate you for who you are. With this, I do not mean not picking up after yourself because you never have. Be courteous to those who you have to work or live with, but don’t change who you are to fit someone else’s needs. Those who are meant to be in your life won’t make you change to fit their needs.