Dear incoming college freshman,
I completely understand where you are right now. You are googling lists of what to take to your dorm, trying to find people to hang out with when you go to college, and probably hiding just how scared you are that you won't fit in where you picked to go. Everyone in your shoes feels the exact same way. I know I did when I was an incoming freshman. I didn't know who I would talk to, or how to make friends, or if 10 minutes was truly enough time to get from my math class to my art appreciation class. (It was...most of the time). Everything in your world is changing almost overnight, and I have some advice that I wish someone would have told me when I was in your shoes.
If you don't use it every day, you won't use it in your dorm. I know that a list on pinterest says you absolutely need a calendar to hang on your wall, but if it isn't something you already use every day in your normal life, you won't magically start using it in college. Everything you move in, you have to move out. Most of the time, a lot of people help you move in, and you have to move out a lot more on your own. The less junk you bring, the better. You don't need to buy a thousand random things you've never used before. Except plastic drawers. You definitely need plastic drawers.
High school become a distant memory pretty quickly. I know it feel like you will never forget what happened to you on prom night, or all those Friday nights, or the sophomore year scandal. Honestly, after a few months or a year away from that place, it will be more of a memory. Most of your friends in high school were probably only your friend because you saw each other five times a week. Those people fade out of your life, but don't be afraid of losing your best friends. If they are truly your best friends, they will stay in your life.
Friends are easy to make in college. This one is debatable, so I've heard. However, I've realized if you just say "hello," to the person you sit next to in Bio everyday, you'll make a friend. As freshman, every person is struggling to find themselves and find friends. If you just walk up to any person, you'll probably make a pretty easy friend. One of my best friends is only my friend because she came up and asked to sit with me in the cafeteria, and now we are extremely close. Just put yourself out there and introduce yourself to people. College is full of thousands of potential friends.
Get involved. I do not know how much i can stress this point. The main reason I find from people who don't enjoy the college they go to is because they never got involved. Join an organization tailored to your interests! It will improve your college experience tenfold, I promise.
Be careful. College is a time when you're kind of an adult, but mostly not. Be careful. Be careful at parties, be careful who you give yourself away to. Be careful. Just because everything seems completely safe and you feel on to of the world, it doesn't mean that you can just do anything you want. Bad things can still happen. Don't forget that drinking underage or drinking and driving is illegal. Don't forget that it's not wise to go home with a random guy from the bar. Just be careful .
And, finally, Everything is going to be okay. Every single thing. Take a deep breath. Don't worry too much. It will be difficult at times, but everything will turn out so wonderfully. You will learn so much both in the classroom and outside of it, and you will grow as a person. Everything is going to be fine, so take a deep breath and get ready for the greatest four years of your life.