Congratulations, you have just finished the last easiest four years of your life. Don't get me wrong, finishing high school is a real achievement, but I'd be lying to you if I said it only got easier. So you've decided to go to college and pursue a degree? That's fantastic! It is an opportunity not everyone has in life and you should make the most of it. I hope that in these next few paragraphs that I will have given you enough words of wisdom to make going to college a little less scary and a lot more manageable.

Firstly, college gives you a fresh start. You will have new professors, new classmates, and will even make new friends. These people don't have to know you were the class clown in high school or you had a bad rep for never doing your homework. College gives you the opportunity to start new and create a better image of who you want to be. The most important thing to remember about your fresh start is that it is solely up to you and your actions on what you want to be known for.

Secondly, you are now a part of the grown up world. Mommy and daddy will no longer be there to hold your hand, making sure you get your homework done, go to class, eat well, get proper sleep, etc. These are now your responsibilities and you must take actions into your own hands. Nobody is going to make you do your homework or force you go to bed, but you must understand the consequences of each and every action. So if your goal is to pass chemistry with a B+then you may have to make a sacrifice by not going out to that party on Friday night to go to a study session instead. However, it will not be the end of the world if you choose not to go out; your friends will respect that you are trying to do well in class, and don't be surprised if there are times that your friends cancel plans on you because they need to study or do homework. I mean, the entire goal of college is to pass your classes and get a degree right?

Speaking of class, don't skip it. As much as you think you need that extra 30 minutes of sleep, it's not worth missing class for. You are paying thousands of dollars for your education and you should want to use every penny of it. Just one hour long class averages $80 per class. That's one expensive nap!! If that's not enough reason to not skip, professors like the students who regularly attend class and participate. I'm not saying to suck up to your professor, but if you go to class and work hard, a professor is much more likely to cut you break if you need it. Whether that be in the form of an excused absence for illness, an extended deadline because you had a family emergency, or even possible rounding your grade up one percentage to get that A; your professors were once in your shoes, they are actually very understandable and easy to talk to, but you must do your part before they can do theirs.

Another huge part of college is your life outside of class. I highly recommend becoming involved! Whether you want to join one, two, or even twelve campus organizations, there are so many opportunities to become involved and spark your personal interests. The possibilities at college are endless; you could play a sport, join Greek life, service programs, intermural, student senate, band, theater, and many more. You could even create your own organization, I've seen it happen! Being involved around campus allows you to not only make new friends, but also gives you the chance to find people who have similar interests as you! While on the topic of making friends, if you are living in a residence hall try to keep your door open if you are just hanging out in your room. Having an open door allows you to easily meet people you may not have class with or would normally approach. Who knows, your future best friend could be living two doors down, but you'll never know if you always hide behind the door binge watching Netflix.

I think the final piece of advice that I want to leave you with is to stay true to who you are. As the genius Dr. Seuss once said "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive, who is youer than you." Nobody can decide who you want to be in life, or what you will do in your life. College is your chance to find, and define yourself. So go out and join that club to save the whales, go play an intermural game of soccer with your roommate, go out Friday night with your friends, but also have those "you" days where you hide in your room working on a research paper while watching Disney movies, because the most important thing to learn in college is how to be you.