Between the seemingly unending waves of information and expected awkwardness of new students, I learned a lot from my school's summer orientation. When I pulled off campus after a long day and a half I realized something, for the time I didn't have any questions about my freshman year.

Going into one's freshman year of college can be rather scary. For me though summer welcome was extremely helpful in preparing me for college. Here are just a few things I learned from my summer welcome experience.

1. Don't be scared, everyone is. That fear of moving to a new place, often for the first time, where you may not know anyone is something a lot of people are facing right now. You never know but your desk mate maybe just as nervous as you. Also this may be easier said than done but just saying hi and asking a classmate how their day is going could end with you meeting one of your new best friends.
2. How important dorm cleanliness is. While this certainly isn't as big of a deal as the aforementioned it is still very important. I have had many fellow students advise to not forget to clean your dorm but during orientation I learned why. The leader of a small group I was in expressed a deep disdain for some of the rooms he has seen in freshman dorms. In order to combat this he recommended a variety of cleaning supplies and strongly encourages a handheld vacuum.
3. My way around campus. Though brief summer orientation allows you to see a lot of campus. Partially due to all of the walking between sessions, I now know how to find my way around at campus. While there are still of course some things I don't know, I still feel well acquainted with the various paths around campus.
4. Everyone is different. Students take a wide array of paths to end up at college. These students themselves are also all very different. Personalities, backgrounds, experiences, etc. There are a lot of people on a college campus and unfortunately one thing people tend to forget is to just be kind to one another. Please remember the golden rule in college.
5. I'm on my own. While not entirely true because I am surrounded by thousands of other students but I am making my own choices for me. I decide what dinner is, when I am studying, and when bedtime is. Mom and dad aren't there to tell me it is too late to go out. And honestly that is just as scary as it is exciting. Time management takes hard work and a lot of responsibility but it is such an important skill that everyone should learn.

These are just a few of the many things I learned from summer welcome. While some thoughts may mean more than others this is still what I gained from it and I hope these ideas will now go on to help others.