Wow. It’s April and it’s crazy to think that you’re almost done with your first year of college. Isn’t it crazy how time flies, especially if you’re having fun? It seems like it was just yesterday that you were moving into the dorms, greeting others on your floor and learning about one another, kissing and hugging your parents goodbye until you saw them again in the next few months. After they have left you would start decorating your side of the room and talking to your roommate, who in turn would become your best friend over the next few months, but you don’t know that yet. You’d converse for a few good hours until you both realized that you were hungry, and so you’d go grab something to eat at the café and the rest is history. Over the course of the two semesters, you’ll learn about things you may or may not have wanted to learn about, experience and try new things, maybe fail a test or two here and there, maybe have a midlife crisis and hysterically breakdown every other week, and possibly become sleep deprived from either binge watching a TV show on Netflix, like Grey’s Anatomy, or by writing two papers, working on a project, and studying for an exam that is all on the next day. These past eight and a half months have taught me a lot, and here are my “freshmen fifteen” that I have gathered over those months to share to you;

1. Know Your Limits.

Whether it be for school work, study hours, eating, stress, and especially alcohol (even though you’re under-aged and shouldn’t be drinking), know your limit. Taking college head on is a lot for the first few months. You’re getting used to your surroundings and all that comes along with it. Learn how to organize yourself, make time for each and everything you’re doing, and know what feels right for you.

2. Always Keep Food Stashed In Your Room.

Those late night munchies will get you when you’re least expecting it, especially if you’re studying late at night for a test the next day, you’ll need brain food to keep the mind going. So make sure you always have your favorite snack under your bed or in your closet. Plus the café food might not always be that great so you have something to look forward to when you get back to the room.

3. Get Involved.

Join a club. Become a fraternity brother or sister. Play a sport (if you can.) Get a job on campus. Not having anything to look forward to every day gets boring after a while. Find something you like and find interesting and check it out, it won’t hurt until you try.

4. Don’t Let Boys/Girls Ruin Your Life.

No matter the situation, don’t let a guy you might like and or hate, or a girl that is being a complete bitch to you, ruin your time here at college. This is your first year and you’re just trying to figure everything out and pass with flying colors, so don’t let anyone ruin your life all because you’re trying to figure out your own.

5. Take A Ton Of Pictures (Because You Probably Won’t Remember Some Weekends).

Take all the pictures you can. Make it so you have no more storage on your phone because some weekends you’ll drink so much “apple juice” that you won’t even remember what you did, but you have the next morning to be able to look at your phone's photo album and see what you did. Take pictures with your best friends, some random people here and there, and create memories that you can reminisce on for years to come and for you to be able to say, “Holy shit, you remember when this happened?!” or “Oh gosh, remember this night?!”.

6. Keep Your Room Clean.

Make sure you keep your room clean. No one likes living in clutter. Having a clean room makes those hectic days a bit less hectic. When you’re in a hurry, you aren’t looking through piles of clutter to find what you need and making yourself even more stressed. Everything has a place and knowing where everything goes makes life just a tad bit easier.

7. Make Time For Yourself.

Always make sure you make time for yourself throughout the day. Even if it’s for fifteen or twenty minutes. Take time out of your busy day to just sit and relax. Listen to music, write, draw, anything that allows you to feel at peace or happy with yourself. You are allowed to live your own life.

8. You Really Aren’t Having A Midlife Crisis, You May Think So But You Aren’t.

So, at one point or another, you may just realize that, “Oh my gosh, I’m having a midlife crisis right now. I don’t even know if I want to be in this major anymore…” and so on. But hey, it’s okay. It’s okay to become confused about everything that is going on and not be sure about everything. You are human. You’re trying to figure out your life and so is everyone else. It’s just a little thing called life, everyone goes through it and you aren’t alone.

9. Sleep Is A Beautiful Thing.

Don’t take sleep for granted. If you have a few minutes in the morning, take those few minutes and close your eyes, but make sure you set another alarm so you’re able to get up and get ready for your 8:30. Make sure you make a good sleeping pattern. Don’t stay up as late as you think you should because you’ll probably regret it in the morning. Sleep in on the weekends, but don’t be a bum and waste the day away. Everyone needs their beauty sleep; my mom has always told me, “You’ll have enough time to sleep when you’re dead”, but just remember sleep is a beautiful thing.

10. Be Open To Failure, But Don’t Procrastinate.

“A 65 on my test…oh man…” Hey, shit happens. Whether it be you studied so hard or didn’t study at all, there is always next time. You aren’t perfect; this is college and it is a different setting than high school. You might not be the straight A student like you were in high school, and it’s okay to be open to not succeeding sometimes. However, you have to learn not to procrastinate everything. It is not okay to put things off to the last minute, trust me. You’ll become even more stressed than how you already are. But everyone has to fall down and learn how to be able to pick themselves back up again.

11. Always Make School Your Priority.

School should be your number one priority, no matter what. You are coming to college and paying to get an education on what your future career will be. Don’t let anything stop you from doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Always try your best in class; for example, if you are an athlete, you will try your hardest to be and to do the best every practice and in every game; you have to do the same for every class. Make sure you’re on top of all assignments, projects, homework, tests, and exams, whatever it may be. Always make school your priority.

12. It’s Okay to Cry, It Really Is.

Crying doesn’t mean that you are weak, it just means that you’ve been holding in strong emotions over time and it’s time to release them. And crying is okay, whether you are stressed, on your period, upset with your boyfriend/girlfriend, angry that life isn’t going your way, it is okay to cry. Just remember to pick yourself back up and move on to bigger and better things. Just eat some Oreos and watch your favorite TV show and take one day at a time.

13. Don’t Forget to Breathe.

Count down from ten, breathing in and out slowly after each number. You’re more than likely to get stressed easily and become so frazzled that you’ll just want to “blow your top”. But you have to remember to breathe and just remember that you’re just one person. That you’re only human. You’ll figure everything out eventually and everything will fall into its place.

14. Keep In Touch With Your Parents.

They gave you life, don’t forget that. Once they drop you off, they know that it is one step closer to their “baby” growing up in the real world. They will get what is called “Empty Nest” syndrome, and in this case, whether you have sibling or not, they will miss you. So keep in touch; text them, call them, it doesn’t have to be every day. But just let them know that you’re doing okay and that you love them. It will make them happy knowing that you’re doing well.

15. You Can Get Through It, Just Don’t Forget To Have Fun.

In the end, just know that you can get through it. This semester is known as one of the hardest semesters for some kids, and that’s okay. You are learning and figuring everything out. Just don’t forget to have fun. Go on a road trip on a random weekend with your friends and find a new place to explore. Read a book or two. Have fun, enjoy the college life, and remember you only do it once.