The first semester in college is crazy. I was in a new town five hours away from home. I was surrounded by people that I did not know in a town I was extremely unfamiliar with. I learned a lot it my classes, but I also learned a lot outside of my classes. Here is (almost) everything I learned in my first semester at college:

16. I used my GPS, a lot.

I knew I was going to have to use it for the five hour trip from my hometown to college. I knew I would have to use it for a little while before I knew where things were around my college. I did not expect to use it almost every single time I got into my car. So, thank you grandma and grandpa for the GPS, it is definitely getting used.

15. It is okay to do things alone.

For the first two weeks I did not really know anyone because I went so far away from home. I learned that it is okay to go eat alone, and sometimes I even prefer it. It is okay to be alone and not surrounded by people. To go study alone at the library. Plus, if I ever got too lonely I could just call my mom.

14. I missed home more than I expected to.

I was so excited to go to college that I did not expect to miss home too much. For the first few weeks I FaceTimed two of my friends every single day and called my mom constantly, so I did not have anything to miss. As the semester went on I began to miss being able to go see my grandparents and I missed birthday parties for my younger cousins and just being in a familiar place. I also really missed my job and coworkers and how much fun we had all summer long.

13. The RA’s are not scary!

I was not sure what to expect of the RA’s when I came in, but my RA was amazing! She made me realize that the RA’s are students who have the same stress that I was having, and they just wanted me to have a good college experience.

12. I really got to make my own decisions.

Obviously college means freedom and getting to make decisions for yourself, but it was the small things that I really shocked me. I got to chose my classes and what time they were. That means I also got to chose when I woke up, as well as when I went to bed. These were things that were so normal and scheduled all the way through high school that it was weird and difficult at first to find out when I functioned best. Also, getting to chose when I ate and what I ate was weird. Usually I would just eat whatever my parents made, but now I had so many choices in the dining hall that it was overwhelming.

11. I did make new friends.

I came to college with no friends or really knowing anyone because my friends either went to different universities or were still in high school. The first few weeks of school, I met so many people. Now, I am not friends with all of those people, but there was so many opportunities to meet new people that there was no way I wasn’t going to make friends. First, there was the people who lived in my residential college. Those were people that I passed in the lobby or rode the elevator with or even lived on the same floor as me. Then, there are the people in my classes. That would be people I sat by or some I had multiple classes with. So I met a lot of people, and sometimes I would be in the dining hall alone and see them, and would sit with them. Now, at the end of the semester, I have friends that I do almost everything with and its like we have been friends for years and not just a few months.

10. Take a lot of pictures and videos.

When having lunch with someone, take a picture! It is a great way to remember people, and their name. Whenever you go to an event, take a picture! Take many pictures! They make for great Instagram posts and (especially) girls love taking pictures. Take videos when you are just hanging out with your friends and they are doing something goofy. It is nice to go through my pictures and see all the fun times I had and watch the videos of my friends while we are apart from each other for the five weeks of winter break.

9. Try new things.

I was extremely involved in high school and wanted to continue to be involved in college. The first way I did this was rush. I was so scared to because I had never thought of doing Greek Life, but I am so thankful that I did. I gained so many sisters and a family away from home, as well as being able to have leadership roles and make a difference in my organization. I also got involved with my Residential College Council to do programs to help build a stronger community in my residential college.

8. Find a place to study.

Finding a place to study was so important to me. I thought it would be the library, but the only thing I could focus on in the library was reading. I found that to do my math I worked best in my dorm room but to write papers I worked best in a study lounge.

7. Walmart took most of my money.

Whether it was from necessities or just wanted some food or tea to keep in my room, Walmart was a place that I visited more often than I would like to admit.

6. I realized how much money I spend.

And how much money my parents gave me. With going to Walmart or eating out, I realized how much money things cost and how they add up. I also realized how awful it feels when there is only $2.65 left on my card.

5. Going home was weird.

It was weird to get home and live out of my suitcase for a few days. It was like being a guest in my own house. Then, my entire family wanted to see me and ask me a million questions about college and everything about it. I also had friends I wanted to see. It was like going on a small, fast vacation trying to get everything squished into just a few days.

4. Do things in the community.

Getting to be in the homecoming parade and go to the festivities was such a fun (and cold) experience! My favorite thing that I got to do in the community was go to a corn maze and hayride for my birthday. Just going out and seeing what was in my new town was fun and I got to create good memories.

3. Have fun!

Hanging out with my friends helped with the stress that comes along with college. Doing childish things like building with legos, board games, or card games was a great way to pass time, not to mention a great way to procrastinate assignments.

2. People are willing to help.

There are so many people willing to help in college, like the RA’s, advisors, and professors, but I learned that most people will help out if you just ask. I was trying to make a piece for my Halloween costume and needed some glue or a hot glue gun. None of my friends had any and the front desk in my dorm was out, so I thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish it. So, I went around my floor and knocked on people’s doors to see if they had anything that could help. On my third try, someone had a hot glue gun! And they gladly let me borrow it, and I got to finish my costume.

1. The number one thing I learned, however, was how to solve a Rubik’s cube.

Yes, I know, this seems extremely useless. I said this to my mom and she said, “Wow, we are paying thousands of dollars for you to go to school and that is the best thing you have learned?” Yes mom, it sure is. Knowing how to solve a Rubik’s cube is more than just a fun skill to have. For me, it helped create a friendship in college. One of my friends is really good at it and has a lot of different Rubik’s cube. One day I picked up the original 3x3x3 and tried to solve it, and she just laughed. That day I made it my mission to be able to solve it, and now I can! This mission played a small part in building a friendship, a great friendship, that made it hard to say goodbye to my first semester of college.