Okay, I’ll admit it. Packing up your car, driving to a new “home”, and moving into a dorm building with hundreds of students you’ve never met before is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences you’ll ever have. A mixture of excitement and fear will hit you like a truck as soon as your parents drop you off, leaving you with enough anxiety for all the incoming freshmen combined. I’ll never forget wondering if I’d ever make friends, becoming an outcast, or if I’d get so homesick I’d actually drop out. But the thing is, this initial anxiety is what makes you have such an incredible year. Because going out of your comfort zone, embracing a new environment, and putting yourself out there is how you start the next steps of your thrilling journey.

“Freshman year of college is like a new slate; you can become whoever you want.”

Although this quote is true, you do want to keep key aspects of yourself. No matter how you want to act or be viewed in college, do not forget or lose who you truly are. With that said, don’t be afraid to open your horizons and try new things too. Maybe you’ve never participated in an A cappella group or you’ve never played soccer before. It never hurts to try something, even if you initially think you wont like it. That is how you find your way in college, trying new things yet not changing your unique qualities that make you, you.

The key to starting off your freshman year right is to be outgoing and introduce yourself to as many people as you can. Eventually you’ll want to establish friend groups full of study partners, future roommates, and people you’ll never want to leave when your four years of college are over. Whether you make friends through a sports team, club, or classes, make sure you are surrounded by people with similar goals and views. These people will positively affect your grades, living conditions, mental health, and overall happiness.

So I’ll leave you incoming freshman with these words:

Study hard, set both ambitious and realistic goals for yourself, create positive and long-lasting friendships, and enjoy yourself. Because college is full of the best years of your life, and those years go by within a blink of an eye.