As someone who has been in college for over two weeks now, I can pretty safely say that I'm an expert at navigating the complicated new world of the collegiate lifestyle and all of the nuances that come along with it. Just kidding. My dining hall caught on fire and I still haven't done my homework that's due in an hour. Nevertheless, I'm still going to try to share with you just a few of the things that I learned my first week here at college.

1. Being friends with your roommate is a top priority.

I really lucked out on this one. She helped me figure out what to write this article about, actually.

2. You'll do a lot more things on your own than you expected.

While eating lunch on your own may have seemed daunting in high school, in college it seems to be a totally normal occurrence. Take advantage of the breaks that you have where you get to be by yourself.

3. You'll read more than you ever thought was possible.

I'm pretty sure that I've read and taken notes on the page equivalent of the first three Harry Potter books by now.

4. Leaving your door open can be a total game changer.

People are all going to be looking to meet new people and make friends, so leaving your door open can be a great way to get acquainted with everyone on your floor.

5. You'll have to figure out how to do laundry eventually.

I put this off for about a week before I ran out of shorts and had to figure out the system. It was actually a lot less daunting than I was expecting.

6. You'll be homesick when you don't expect to be and you won't be homesick when you expect to be.

For the first week, I was totally fine if I wasn't able to call home every day but seeing the pasta in the dining hall would bring up memories of those family dinners.

7. Your dorm will only look Instagram-worthy clean for about a day.

I think I've made my bed twice since I've gotten here.

8. You'll have a lot less time to watch Netflix than you're anticipating.

I have actually had zero free time in the past week. When you first get on-campus, you'll want to spend your time out experiencing things rather than being cooped up in your dorm room.

9. Despite the ups and downs in the beginning, college will begin to feel a little more like home every day.

Each day, your dorm will feel homier and you'll feel closer to more people. As you start to create a routine and your schedule stabilizes, college life will begin to feel more normal, comfortable even. It may not happen by the end of the first seven days, but I promise you that it will happen.