You did it! You went through your four years, you saved up a ton of money this summer working at Wendy’s, and now you’re ready to take on the college life.A WARNING: Please read this before you dive head first into the unsuspecting and unrelenting world of college.

College is a great experience where you seek a higher education, and a step forward in making a future for yourself. However, these next four years will not be the picture perfect movie you have conjured up in your head. Luckily, I am here to give you some advice to guide you through your freshman year.

Welcome Week

Before classes even start you might be looking around for what to do in this new environment. Texas Tech offers welcome week, a week of events and activities to participate in if you are new to campus. A lot of freshmen think they are too cool, or it is a waste of time to go to these things. I am here to tell that they are not a waste of time. These events offer free food, free Tech gear, and a chance to meet so many people who are in the exact same situation as you. If you are worried about not making friends, just go to one of these events, find that person you talked to at orientation, or find someone new and just introduce yourself. These things are offered to you to make you feel comfortable in your new environment, so take advantage of them.

Classes

College is way different from high school. You might be used to waking up early and then going to school from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but when you get to college you soon realize that isn’t the case. You might have a class at noon, then not again till 3:30 p.m., leaving so much time for whatever. If you’re thinking “I’ve been waking up early for four years now, I can do 8 a.m. classes” A word of advice, DON’T! You might have been able to spring out of bed and get ready for class that early in high school, but soon you will be at your university and that means you will be sucked into an entirely different atmosphere. No longer do you have your mom yelling to get you out of bed, or the pressure to get to class because you can’t afford a tardy. You will soon come to the realization that you paid for this class, and whether you go to class or not, nobody is going to care. So that 8 a.m. College Algebra class is going to turn into the retake College Algebra because you had 7 absences.

My Advice: Choose classes you know you are actually going to get up and go to. Attend every single class, even if you really aren’t feeling it one day, because just one miss could potentially set you back.

Clubs/Activities

Once you come to the realization that you have a lot more time on your hands than you used to have in high school, there is a lot more opportunity to joining clubs and participate in various activities. A lot of students often feel overwhelmed with the spare time, especially because in a dorm you now live where you also go to school. Don’t be that student who falls into the trap of watching Netflix all day locked in your room. Tech offers over 500 different clubs from Dungeons and Dragons to a Hispanic Student Society. There are even clubs like a Skiing and Snowboarding Club, so there is something there for everyone’s interest. Out of 36,000 students there is bound to be a group of some that are interested in exactly the same thing that you are.

Other Advice

Don’t take everything too seriously! There will be a lot of different people with a lot of differing opinions now that you are in a big environment of people around the same age as you. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion and don’t take offense to anyone who tries to shoot you down. Your professors are there to help you, not watch you fail. My high school teachers would always tell me, “Professors in college don’t care,” but the truth is that if you seek out their help they will be there for you. Go to office hours, e-mail your professor for help, and get to know your teachers, the more you know you the better off you are. See that cute guy or girl sitting next to you in class? TALK TO THEM. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t speak up and try to meet new people, after all that is what college is about. Lastly, do everything you can to make the new city you find yourself in home.

I would be lying if I said Lubbock, TX was the most interesting place in the world, but in my experience it is the people you surround yourself with that determine the kind of time you have.

If you heed my advice, I can promise you that freshman year will be a great transition into the college lifestyle.