1. You will not be the same person you are today when you graduate.

You may like the person you are today, and that’s great, but change is inevitable – especially when you experience new things, and college is full of new things. It will be your responsibility to make decisions that will shape you into a better version of your current self. Think about that as you decide what kind of activities you want to be involved in and what kind of people you want to surround yourself with during the next four years of your life. They will impact the person you will become.

2. It is okay to not know what you are going to do with your life.

The average college student changes their major three times before graduation, and that’s okay! I am going into my fourth year of college and just changed my major AGAIN last semester. (Sorry, mom and dad!) Hopefully this one will stick. Deciding what to major in is a large task to take on and it’s a decision that you will live with for the rest of your life. So take time making your decision. If you’re having trouble choosing a major, try talking to Career Services. They have surveys you can take that match you with majors you might enjoy.

3. Skipping class is a bad idea.

College is wonderful! It gives you the freedom to make your own choices without mom and dad’s seal of approval. This freedom makes it very tempting to stay in bed and binge watch Netflix all day instead of going to class. Sounds fun, right? You're right, it is fun, until you're stuck with a zero for a pop quiz, you have no notes from that day's lecture, which will of course be on your next test, and you don’t do the homework because you weren’t there to know it was assigned.

You are attending college – and paying a lot of money to do so – so get an education and save the next Netflix episode for after class!

4. College will be what you make it.

If you go to college and don’t get involved in any clubs or extracurricular activities, then you are going to hate it. You get out as much as you put in – so say yes when the person who lives three doors down asks you to go grab lunch. Sign up for your dorm's pizza party and get involved! I know I just said you are going to college to get an education, and that is very true, but you won’t remember the nights you sat in your room doing homework all night. Branch out and get involved. Trust me, your homework will still be there when you get back from making memories.

5. Ask for help and say thank you.

Your professors are there to teach you. A lot of your classes will be really hard, but that doesn’t mean that your professors want to see you fail. Take advantage of their office hours and talk to them in person instead of just shooting them an email every time you have a question. Let them see that you are trying and spend time talking to them face-to-face. They will be much more willing to help if you approach them during the times that they set aside for you to do so.

After you stop by, go ahead and write them a thank-you note. Chances are you will have that professor again later on and they may even be on the grad school admission board. Letting them know you appreciate their help could only help you down the road.

6. When you're old enough to drink, be smart about it.

Always pour your own drink – even if you feel comfortable with that person, pour it yourself. Don’t mix your liquor with other liquor and definitely DO NOT mix it with any kind of drugs. Drink a glass of water in between every alcoholic beverage you consume, and be aware of how long it will take for that alcohol to fully leave your system. One glass of wine takes three hours and one beer takes roughly two hours; be aware of this before driving the next morning. Lastly, NEVER drink and drive.

7. Stay in touch.

Staying in touch with your high school friends probably sounded like an easy thing to before you started college. But when you are all at different schools doing different things, it becomes harder than you thought it would be. Make it a point, though, to stay in touch with the people who meant the most to you. Summer break will arrive sooner than you think and you don’t want to return home only to find that you don’t really have any friends there anymore.

8. It goes by faster than you think.

Think about how fast high school went by; college will go by even faster. Live it up while you can and make the most of your time with your college friends. Don’t wish this time away. Trust me, you’ll have to enter the real world sooner than you’d like.