As graduation nears, nothing can cross anyone’s mind but the hustle and bustle of preparing for college. Most of you will probably go to a school in-state, especially if you live in a state like Texas that has multiple University systems, with multiple campuses, in pretty much any city of your choosing. Some of you may decide to go out of state for any number of reasons: you have family out of state, you used to live out of state, or you just want to get away. Some may go to a trade school or some type of technical school. No matter which of these options you choose, we all know how hard you worked on the applications and all of the years that have built up to this decision, because we’ve been there too. My best advice to you, regardless of your plans, is that it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do, just learn some basic life skills while having the time of your life, and you will end up having an overall good college experience.

I’ve been a planner my entire life. Even when I was little, I planed out our week at grandma’s house and what activities we would do, making sure to include something for everyone. I breezed through high school, all the while thinking I knew what I wanted to do with my life, but during my senior year my choice of college changed, followed by my choice of major, thus changing my whole life plan.. for the first time of many. I went to a large out of state school the fall after I graduated high school. I lived on campus, I ate in the dining halls, and I made friends with other students in my major. I did all of the things freshmen are supposed to do; I went to campus functions, got the free t-shirts they pass out in free speech alley, and pulled all nighters in the studio because I honestly didn’t have the best time management skills. Okay let’s be real, that hasn’t changed. I did all of these normal “college” things, but I ended up in a different major each year for the next 3 years. I had, and still have no earthly idea what I want to do with my life and after so many different courses, I really didn’t know which direction to go.

Looking back, I wish I would have taken a variety of classes early on so I could figure out which direction I wanted to go. With each new major, I tried to fill my schedule with tough, major specific courses that wouldn’t transfer anywhere once I had changed my mind, yet again. My advice to you, sweet naive future college freshmen, is to not get so hung up on the exact classes that you have to take solely for your major. Take a poetry class just because you enjoy it, or a religion class because you’ve never really understood other religions and you want to open your understanding of others. You have gen-ed requirements for a reason. Fill them with classes that you want to take because later down the road, you really don’t have much wiggle room with the courses available to take. College is one of the best opportunities to learn so many different types of information and most campuses offer so many resources to help you succeed.

Along with the variety of information available on campus, there are a few other things you should learn during your freshman year. Basic life skills such as time management and doing everything in moderation are some good things to learn when you’re beginning the next chapter of your life. These are a few of the many different things that will stay with you after you’re finally done with school for good. As a 5th year senior, I can promise you that if you learn to manage your time wisely, you will be happier, healthier, and more successful. There’s nothing worse than pulling all nighters because you didn’t read the chapters on time. Sure, there are those days where a football game seems way more important than reading the new section in your philosophy book. We all get behind sometimes, but time management is probably one of the most important skills to have when you’re trying to juggle school, a social life, work, family, and staying sane.

Time management is also an important aspect of realizing that everything is best in moderation. No one expects you to have a whole world open up in front of your eyes, and then not explore that world. You finally get to move out and begin living on your own, whether it’s in a dorm, apartment, or wherever; you finally get to follow your own rules. It is important to remember that with new experiences come new responsibilities. Now you can go out on weeknights because you don’t have a curfew. You can drink (responsibly and of-age), go to parties, basically do whatever you want, but you do have to realize that your professors are not your mothers and they won’t care why you missed class or why you didn’t finish your homework. You have to be able to create a balance between having fun and getting stuff done.

With that being said, go into your freshman year and have some fun. Go to all of the free events on campus, go to a gymnastics meet if you’ve never been to one, explore the cool intramural sports and adventure activities your rec center has to offer. College is the perfect time to start fresh and learn new skills. You have so many opportunities at your fingertips, you would be dumb to not take advantage of all the new things you can try. I promise you will regret not taking every available opportunity you have, because I definitely do. There are so many things that I thought sounded interesting and then never tried. If I could go back, I would definitely go out of my comfort zone a little more.

Everyone’s college experience is different, and you’d be silly to try to do exactly what anyone else did or didn’t do. I honestly believe that as long as you use your freshman year to explore as many opportunities that are given to you, practice some life skills that you will carry into adulthood and have a great time, you’re going to have a few great college years.