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I thought my first semester would be really hard and I’d be very homesick the whole time, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I fortunately had a fairly easy transition to college and being away from home, but there are still many things I’ve learned out of my 124 days spent at college.

• Don’t take 8:30 classes if you’re not a morning person

I learned this the hard way. I am not a morning person, and anyone I know can tell you that I am NEVER on time. When I made my schedule at orientation over the summer, the only available classes were at 8:30, so I signed up for them. Because I’m lazy, I never tried to change them over the summer. To say the least, I will not be taking an 8:30 class again unless it is literally my only option. Don’t do it.

• GO TO CLASS

In high school, if you were sick you could go ask your teacher what you missed and they would let you make up work. In college, all you can do is ask classmates for their notes. Professors don’t let you make up work if you were actually sick, or just skipping class because you didn’t want to go. When you ask a classmate for notes you may tell yourself you’re gonna look at them later, but trust me, you won’t. Also go to office hours that your professor holds. I regret only going to see my calc professor right before the final and I wish I had gone to meet more of them. It probably also would’ve boosted my grade in some of my classes so there’s some motivation to go to office hours next semester!

• Making friends is hard

I go to a big school and I only knew a few people when I first got here. It really was hard to make friends, I’m not gonna lie. Until clubs started, I didn’t meet many other people besides my roommates and floormates. When I started club swimming, I liked going to practice because I met new people every time I went to practice. Then I started becoming friends with people in my classes, which was helpful for studying and a lot of us became really close from that. As of now, my closest friends are people I’ve met from my classes and clubs that I’ve joined. Making friends at a big school is hard, but its worth it.

With that being said,

• It’s okay to go out of your comfort zone

You’re on your own now. If you want food, you have to go get it. If you need something from CVS, you have to get it yourself. If you’re sick, you have to go to the doctor yourself. You have to make friends on your own. You have to go out of your comfort zone. This was hard for me in the beginning, but I’ve become a lot more outgoing and I’ve learned a lot more responsibility from being away from home.

• It’s also okay to not miss home that much

My close friends know that I do not miss being in my hometown at all. Don’t get me wrong, I am so lucky that I was able to grow up in such a beautiful place, but it was just time for me to leave it and move somewhere else. When I was home, I talked to my parents on a daily basis. We were pretty close, and we still are. I call them basically everyday, and sometimes multiple times a day. I just like to talk to them. As close as I am with them, I am okay with being away from home. I thought I’d really miss it, and I do have days where I just want to go home, but most days I enjoy getting to experience college in a different part of the country.

• Winging it on exams is not the best idea

This is something I learned in high school but should’ve taken with me to college. If you don’t understand something in class, meet with your professor, TA, or do anything to try to understand it. If you have an exam coming up, STUDY. I cannot say that enough. Some people can pull all-nighters and cram the night before; I am not one of those people. I’ve tried staying up late to study, but for me that is equal to not studying at all. Don’t cram, that’s all I have to say.

• Bad days can be fixed with episodes of Grey's Anatomy

I’ve had many of those days where I can’t do anything but lay in my bed and watch Grey’s Anatomy. It is the most relatable show ever; I cannot begin to explain it. If you didn’t do well on a test, watch Grey’s. If you’ve just had a breakup, watch Grey’s. If it’s just one of those days with the feels, watch Grey’s. I promise you won’t regret it.

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