A word of advice for your first day of college from a senior: don’t try to be anyone but yourself.

So many incoming freshmen arrive for move-in day with an idea of who they will be in college. I remember doing the exact same thing before I moved in my freshman year. I considered everything that I liked and disliked about myself and how I could reinvent myself to become this person that everyone would like more.

Let me tell you something: that charade lasted for about two days.

I was trying so hard to be someone that I’m not that I failed to form true bonds with anyone. Others were nice to me, sure, and I was nice to them--but it was a cordial kind of friendship that simply didn’t ring true. I felt like I didn’t belong. I hated that feeling.

At some point, I changed my ways. I can’t remember if it was a conscious decision or if I just fell back into myself out of habit, but I eventually came back to myself. That was when I truly began to enjoy college. Once I dropped the act, those around me began to appreciate me for who I was instead of the person I pretended to be. I found myself liking the people around me more, too: I liked how they interacted with me instead of the version of me I pretended to be.

So take it from me: don’t try to be someone you’re not. It won’t win you friends--or at least the friends worth having. You won’t form those strong bonds that you hear about because you’ll be too busy worrying about the act you’re performing. You won’t attract people who interact well with you; you’ll attract people who like the alternate you, then recoil when they begin to see the real you. It’s not that they dislike the real you--it’s shock. They expected you to be someone else. They expected you to be the person that you expected yourself to be. Suddenly, you’re back to square one. It’s so much easier to be your genuine self from the get-go.