1. Your space is your sanctuary, and almost always reflects how your life is going. Mine is very messy. Take that as you will.
2. You no longer have time to get ready in the mornings. Not because you just don't have the time, but because you don't have the time to make the time. Mornings are for sleeping until just the right moment. Mornings are for putting your feet on the ground when you were just studying a few hours ago. The only time you really need to get up way early is on test days, when it's good to be awake for a while before you have to think hard.
3. You are officially a backpacker. You now walk long distances over the course of a day with a backpack strapped to you. It doesn't matter how light you pack, it will get heavy. Especially if you're pre-med. Have you seen those bio books? Yikes.
4. Professors are very different from high school teachers. That doesn't mean they're not as good. I love every single one of my professors fiercely. Here at Baylor, the professors form relationships with their students, and it's a bond very different from what I've experienced before.
5. It doesn't matter how nasty the food at that one dining hall is- if that dining hall is open late, you will show up at midnight for cereal. Food becomes a new animal in college.
6. Weekends are wonderful. That's prime time for you to get out of your dorm. I always feel amazing after going out for ice cream or going to a football game. Make your weekends your own.
7. Friends, no matter how many you have, are vital to getting through stress. Talk to them. Laugh with them. Take a coffee break with them. College is the time to find the right people for you. Enjoy that.
8. Go home sometimes. Nothing feels as peaceful as that, whether you missed home or didn't, something just feels right when you get there. If you get lucky, you'll start missing your new home while you're away. That's a good thing. You can have two homes.
9. I know it's a cliche, but caffeine, in all it's wonderful forms, is the lifeblood of college.
10. Bikers and skateboarders do not care about your physical wellbeing. They will hit you. It will hurt. It will be moderately embarrassing. Lesson learned.
