Life is a work in progress.

That’s something you always have to remember. You’re in college. You are young, (relatively) free and independent from your parents. If you don’t count the all-nighters and the crazy hard classes, I’d say we have it pretty good in this college life.

But it’s not always peaches and roses.

You see, I went to college on a fantasy of “college will be the best four years of your life” and “college is so much better than high school” and “you are going to LOVE college” …and every other statement that I KNOW you have probably heard before.

So, truth is – in the long run, college probably will go down in the books as the best four years of my life. But guess what? I screwed up pretty badly starting out, and chances are that you will too. This is your first time being a “real” adult and it’s okay to make a few mistakes starting out. You might get too crazy at a party or not know how to handle living with someone in such a small space or date that hot guy/girl who you know will break your heart just for the heck of it or think that reading for a class is unimportant because it never was in high school. (Trust me, it’s IMPORTANT).

College isn’t easy. Growing up isn’t easy. No one ever said it had to be, either. (Well, other than all those people who romanticized college for me …. thanks for that).

Life is a work in progress, my friends.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They will help you learn. They will help you grow. Your mistakes are what make you stronger. They are what make you a better student and a better person.

So, go to that party – you’ll learn a thing or two about yourself while doing it. Learn how to get along with your roommate. Learn that dating isn’t a thing you just “do” for the heck of it – it actually means something. Don’t get up in the hype of college dating – it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, really. And always, always, always read for that class. It’s so important.

One thing I will warn you of? Don’t make the same mistake twice.

If the first decision you made went sour, don’t do it again. If that girl/guy treats you like crap, don’t go running back to them. Don’t continuously do things that annoy your roommate, and ask her/him to abide by that same principle, and things will go smoothly. And if you failed that reading quiz the first time you decided to read by simply skimming or not reading at all, pull out your highlighter during your allotted homework reading time and really learn how to read and absorb the text. You’ll pass that next quiz with flying colors.

It’s all a work in progress, and you start out by making stupid mistakes because you probably are doing some stupid things. You and I are young, and we’re learning. Don’t let anybody make you feel inferior because of this – if they are younger, they don’t know what they’re talking about. If they’re older, (trust me) they’ve been there too, even if they won’t admit it. If they’re the same age as you, I promise you they are dealing with similar things or other issues of their own.

We are all on a journey. There will be bumps along the way, but learn from them, become stronger and just move on.