It's that time. The time when you say goodbye to your parents and your friends, and you move away for the first time. The time when you finally have freedom, and the time when you finally decide what you are really doing for the rest of your life. The time when you start to gain independence and maturity. It can be a scary time but remember, it's also the best time.

College is the best time of your life and it starts now. It will be stressful. Lots of school work and finding a job and worrying about your family and friends back home. It will be fun. You will meet tons of new people and absolutely create lifelong friends. It will be sad. You will constantly miss your friends that aren't with you. You will get homesick. You will get sick the for the first time and you realize you don't have your mom there to take care of you. You might forget to feed yourself. You might forget to clean your room. No one will be there to remind you that you have to do your homework. If you can't hear your alarm in the morning no one will be there to shake you awake.

College is where you find yourself, as cliche as it sounds. You will be opened to new lifestyles, new perspectives and beliefs. You will get a reality check and a culture shock. You will cry when you fail your first exam because that's probably just bound to happen. You will be elated when you get an "A" in your first college course. You will get nervous when you see an intimidating big campus. You will have fun when you see all your college town has to offer.

It will be hard, but it will be a time of discovery. You will discover yourself, what you want to do with your life, what you definitely don't want to do with your life, what you love, what you hate. You will push your limits. You will be a little reckless and wild. You will test yourself.

Some advice: never be afraid to challenge yourself. Never be afraid to try new things. Meet new people. Never be afraid to fall in love. Never be afraid to be brokenhearted. Never be afraid to fail, because you will it's inevitable. Above all don't forget who you are or why you're there.

Don't forget about your friends back home. Don't forget to call your parents because although this new found freedom and independence is awesome, your parents will never stop worrying about you. They will always want to hear your voice. They will always want to know if you did your homework, what you're doing and if you made it back to your dorm safely. It might seem annoying to you but trust me it's a blessing to have people care enough about you to be worried about you.

Above all, have fun, make memories and take risks. Life is all about trial and error, and college is a great place to do all that trial-ing and all that error-ing

Peace and love, freshies.

-From someone who is one in your shoes not too long ago.