No matter who you are, where you're from, what school you go to, or what you're studying, the transition to college isn't perfect.

There are some days I have a smile on my face so long it hurts, and other days all I want to do is crawl into bed and pretend I'm a kid again. When I was getting ready to move in I read every Odyssey, BuzzFeed, Refinery 29, and Pinterest article I could find in hopes of preparing myself for the transition to college.

While a lot of the packing lists have really come in handy, nothing could fully prepare me for the reality of college. That being said, I really can't complain too much. I am fortunate enough to attend an absolutely amazing university where there is a very strong sense of hospitality and family, so the second I walked on campus I was (literally and figuratively) embraced by the community.

But no matter how great orientation is or how easily you fall into a new routine, there will be roadblocks. You'll probably bomb a quiz, test, or paper at some point this semester; that's just a reality of college. The important thing to remember is the insignificance of one grade or one crappy day.

This is no easy task, and I definitely could not have done it without the truly wonderful friends I have made. Through all of my struggles during the first half of this semester, there have been great people to walk me through it all and make sure I'm doing well.

When I was reading all of those articles and talking to current college students this summer, they all told me how important it is to make upperclassman friends. I figured this was mostly so I would have a friend who could take me to Target once in a while, but I quickly realized it had nothing to do with cars or telling me which professors to avoid.

It's about having a strong support system of people who have been through exactly what you have, and who can offer you helpful advice on how to deal with everything that's going on. Having such caring upperclassman friends is definitely one of the leading reasons my transition has been relatively easy.

That being said, some of the best and most helpful conversations I've had while at school were with other freshmen. I'm lucky enough to also have a good group of freshmen friends whom I know I can turn to with just about anything. No friend group is perfect, but if you can find a good group of people who want to grow with you and see you succeed, your first semesters will be 10x easier.

My friends and I don't have it all figured out, but we have each other. Having someone to talk to when you're having a bad day or just having someone to eat lunch with every day can make such a difference in the college experience, and I am beyond blessed to have these people in my life.