As a second semester freshman, I guess I can finally start saying that I’m “acclimated” to the college lifestyle. And I’m not just talking about ordering Domino’s at 1 a.m. and getting dangerously close to majoring in coffee consumption.

No, I’m talking about what it’s like to be living in a brand new city with a bunch of new people: and juggling a workload that’s a bit more advanced than anything I’ve ever experienced before.

These past few months, I’ve learned a lot — not just about myself, but my work ethic. Studying in college is vastly different from studying in high school: and this is something that I had to learn the hard way by practically living out of the library. But in the end, it really paid off.

Another big change for me was having so much free time when I got to college. For me, high school was all about structure: sitting at a desk and having back to back class for six hours straight. With the loose schedule I have now, a lot of the pressure to get things done has lessened, and I find it easier to get all my work done on time.

But having all this spare time definitely opens up the way for distraction. Some of the things that I’ve learned? Apparently, binge-watching "Law and Order" does not help you study for American Government: no matter how much you wished it did.

One of the things that brought me the most stress last semester were my grades. Countless times, I’ve heard that "you get out of college what you put into it," and if you work for it, then you’ll get an A. But another thing that I learned is that isn’t necessarily true.

Professors are here to teach you how to think on your own, and rely on your own strengths to solve problems. And sometimes, you’ll work your ass off just to get a B. And that sucks. But sometimes, a hard-earned B is better than an A that you got by cutting corners.

On a lighter note, college is a great place to meet new people. I’m only one semester in, and I already know that some of these people that I’ve met are going to be my friends for life. College is full of awesome people and experiences. So my advice to anyone who is reading this: this is the time to make mistakes. College is about finding yourself, and if you can achieve this through trial and error, then go for it.

Don’t like your major? Change your mind. And then change it again. For the first time in our young adult lives, we have the power to decide what we want to do. So take every opportunity you can to find out what you’re passionate about, and run with it.