When I went off to school in August I wish I would have had this advice. It would have been a lifesaver.

You've moved into your dorm and you are starting your first day of college. You don't have your mom there to take that cheesy first day of school picture and you don't have to deal with fighting with your siblings over a radio station on your way to school. You're terrified, I know I was. I was afraid that I would take forever to make friends and that I wouldn't fair too well in my classes. I was wrong and so are you. As a second semester freshman that just suffered through everything mentioned this year, let me give you some advice:

You will get your first bad grade. This is not the end of the world so don't stress about it. Everyone and I mean everyone gets a bad grade their freshman year. While you may think that it "sets the tone" for the rest of your time in that class, you are wrong. If you are lucky your professor might even drop the lowest test grade (and YES sometimes this includes your final). Fortunately I had two teachers my first semester that did this. One dropped the lowest quiz grade, since we didn't have tests, and the other dropped the lowest test grade. This helped my College Algebra grade immensely.

You will feel overwhelmed. To be honest with you, this feeling will never completely go away. The first week of school my teachers PILED on the homework, in fact I hardly did anything but work and work on assignments/study. Looking back on it I wasn't as overwhelmed as I thought that I was. I could have went out to eat with my friends or taken that blowoff trip to Memphis but instead I let school take over my life. I sincerely regret it. I'm not saying "Hey, forget all your school work and go have fun every single day," but definitely don't forget that you are only a college freshman once so enjoy it.

You will get burnt out on the cafeteria food before the first month is even over. You will want to use your flex dollars but trust me...they go buy quickly. One of the worst feelings is when you swipe your card at Einstein Bagels and it shows that you have $5.43 left of flex with the whole month of April left. Eating off campus once or twice a week is a good way to blow through your actual money pretty quick, too. I love Jimmy Johns, Panera Bread, and coffee from The Edge and trust me you really have to watch it or else your bank account will go as fast as your flex dollars.

You will miss your family and your cat. Going off to college you might think, "Finally! My parents can't stop me from doing something anymore," which is true in some cases but you will miss the fact that you can't use the excuse sorry, mom told me I can't (but don't be afraid to still say NO). You may think that you won't get homesick but it will happen at least once your freshman year and it might happen a weekend you really can't go home (like it did for me). It is okay to miss your family, everyone does. It is also okay to miss your animals because I have my family send me pictures of my cat like three times a week. I am obsessed with her. You are not alone when it comes to missing your family and cat because everyone else is in the same boat as you.

PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AND MAKE FRIENDS. This is probably the one thing above everything else I wish i would have known before starting school. Everyone is just as nervous. If you are like me and went to the same high school all your life with the same 39 kids that you graduated with in your class since kindergarten, going off is a big adjustment. I found it easier to make friends by getting a job on campus, getting involved in a few clubs and finding a church home. These really helped me become more comfortable with being away from what I had always known. You will not make friends or become close with everyone you meet and that is perfectly okay, trust me. This happens to everyone too.

Finally, enjoy your time that you are off by yourself because it really is in your freshman year that you really get to understand who you are or at least start to. Maybe you'll find out that you are actually a coffee drinker or maybe you'll find out a new hidden talent. The possibilities are endless and freshman year is the PERFECT time to try out new things.

I really didn't believe anyone when they told me that your freshman year goes by quickly but trust me it does. One day feels like you just moved into your dorm and the next your preparing for your last six weeks of freshman year. Enjoy it all and find yourself because this year only happens once.