When you're younger, college seems like it's so far away. Then, it comes in the blink of an eye, which may make you feel like you aren't ready for the change. But good news: you are!

As my freshman year wrapped up, I began to reminisce on my perceptions of college before I actually got there. The nerves, the excitement, the fear; all of the mixed feelings and emotions. College is definitely an adjustment, but in no way is that a bad thing. Common perceptions may worry you, but here are some things you should know:

1. If you don't love it right away, it's not the end of the world.

Chances are, the first week will be weird. Once your parents officially leave on move-in day, it hits you that it's actually time to somewhat live on your own. I thought I was pretty much incapable of this. But, it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. Sure, you may accidentally shrink a shirt or two your first time doing your own laundry, but that's normal.

In high school, you’re used to walking into a classroom of familiar faces and friends. On your first day of classes in college, you walk into class knowing little to none of your classmates. Depending on your school, you may even walk into a room of 200 or 300 unfamiliar faces. With all of these things that you aren’t used to, you may not absolutely love it right away. And that’s totally okay. Clubs, events, group projects, and more social activities don’t start right away, but as the semester goes on, it is so easy to put yourself out there and make friends. Don’t worry if you feel that you aren’t making a lot of friends as soon as you get there, because I assure you that will shortly change as your classes, clubs, etc. become more involved. As you adjust to college, everything starts to become more familiar. Before you know it, it will all become your norm.

2. Staying in touch is easy.

With all the technology that this world has to offer, it’s almost impossible to lose touch with the people that you want to keep in touch with. Your high school group chat is guaranteed to live on. Your home friends are the first ones you go to when you want to share an exciting college story. You will want to call your parents and tell them all about your classes. Even if you talk to some friends every once in a while, there’s always so many exciting stories to catch up on when you see each other for break. Reunions are the best!

3. You actually will have free time.

Before I went to college, I thought that every spare second would be spent doing work, work, and more work. I was gladly mistaken. As long as you manage your time well, you will be happily surprised at how much free time you have. You will be able to hang out with your friends, get a head start on studying, go to the gym, and most importantly, of course, have time to sit down, relax, and watch Netflix.

4. Communal bathrooms aren't that bad.

The thought of sharing bathrooms and showers with 40 plus people probably scares you. I definitely was not looking forward to that. But, you will quickly learn that everyone is on a different schedule. Waiting for a shower or a bathroom stall is extremely rare, and I could not have been more relieved about that. It’s fun to chat with your floor mates when a bunch of you are in there getting ready for the day or for bed. I’m not going to lie: you will look forward to home showers more than ever, but I promise that the communal bathrooms are not as bad as you probably think. (P.S. singing in the shower does not end in college. Shower concerts are actually encouraged.)

5. Everyone is in the same boat.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that almost everyone enters college with the same nervous (yet excited) feelings. Everyone worries about fitting in, stressing over work, and making friends. A word of advice: If you go to the dining hall for dinner by yourself one night and you see somebody else alone, ask to join him or her. Everyone is looking to make friends, except it is hard to be the one to initiate a friendship towards the beginning. It may seem weird to just go up to someone random, but the truth is, everybody is looking to meet new people. Regardless of if this dinner leads to a friendship or not, it feels good to step out of your comfort zone. Because all in all, college itself is a step out of your comfort zone.

Just like college comes in the blink of an eye, your first year will go by just as fast. Enjoy it, don't stress yourself out too much, and make the best of every moment.