As many of you know, I started college this year, and so much has happened since. I would say that this has been the most eventful year of my life thus far, which is definitely saying something. I've made wonderful friends, fallen in love, driven all over America, and have, by some miracle maintained a pretty decent GPA. I've tried new things, given up old ones, and have learned five very important lessons along the way.
1. It is always time for a nap
This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have 30 minutes, four hours, a few days, of empty time, sleep. Chances are, you need it, and will not get the opportunity again for a long while.
2. It's Okay to say No
One of the biggest blessings of college is your proximity to your friends. You sleep with them, eat with them, learn with them, study with them, travel with them, etc., Your life pretty much revolves around your friends, which makes it really challenging to say no sometimes. It's hard not attending every impromptu road trip into town, or recognizing that you have way too much work to have a movie night, but eventually, you will learn that the fun you will have at the Cold Stone does not always outweigh the pain of the all-nighter that ensues when you finally get back to the library.
They're your friends; they will understand, and most likely have to make the same decision at some point in the near future.
3. College is a Weird Place.
I'm not talking Dining Hall calamari weird, either. This is the kind of weird that physically could not be explained in any other fashion than confusedly mumbling, “Oh, college…” when a pajama-clad kid on his Razor scooter zooms past you on the way to class. There's a freeing, but frightening lack of judgement, as all of us understand that our classmates are literally just trying to survive until Springfest, and if that means bringing a coffee pot and a sleeping bag into the library, so be it.
4. It's Not as Dog-Eat-Dog as People Say it is.
Professors aren't evil people. Odds are, they're willing to understand and do something to accommodate your situation. Most have an interest in your existence and would love to get to know you in office hours, if you needed to come in for help. There are enough resources on every campus to help ensure your success. Use them. Don't be embarrassed to ask for a tutor, or to tell a professor that you're immensely overwhelmed and need to miss a class to get caught up. Everyone on campus is human, and everyone understands that you have limitations.
5. God is Faithful
College is a rough time, sometimes. You'll feel alone, inadequate, confused, and out of place quite a bit your freshman year, but it's in those times that you must remember that God brought you to your campus for a reason. He will provide the friends and the grades and the necessities if you let Him. He who promised is faithful, and even though I have, He will never, ever fail.
