Junior year of high school is the first peek at the road ahead for many young students, and it is a time of excitement, big dreams, and hopes for a successful future. The reality of adulthood hasn’t hit yet, and the allure of the blank slate makes it feel as though the whole world is at your fingertips if you want to reach for it. Most high schoolers are naive about what life after high school is really like. I was certainly not prepared for the challenges of college and adult life, but by figuring it out as I go I have grown as a person. Now I’m a college senior, and I coach high school student-athletes. As I watch them look forward with excitement, I have reflected on my own growth the past five years and the things I wish I knew back then.

1. Just because you change directions doesn’t mean you’re giving up your dream; it just means that you’re shaping it into a new one.

So many students enter college to pursue a dream they’ve had since kindergarten, only to find out that in the real world it isn’t as fun as it looked on television. They are reluctant to give it up because they think it’ll make them a quitter, but by adjusting their dream to something they’re truly passionate about they are taking one step closer to reaching their ultimate dream of a fulfilling career and life. Most people I’ve met in college have switched majors at least once; I’ve switched majors four times. The high school me would be cringing right now, but as a soon-to-be college graduate, I am confident that I’m pursuing what’s best for me. Have an open mind from the beginning; it makes it so much easier to find your true passion.

2. There are tons of “smart person” career paths beside medicine and law.

When I was in high school, there was an unspoken attitude that the smartest people would go on to be doctors or lawyers; since I liked to think of myself as a “smart” person, I went headfirst into a pre-med curriculum, but after a semester I realized I hated it. It’s not that I wasn’t smart enough; it just wasn’t the right fit for me. Finding something that gets you excited is so much more important than choosing a stereotypical “smart person” career path. Your intelligence will come in handy in any career you choose.

3. College is significantly harder than high school, but you’ll be ready to handle it.

Whoever started the rumor that college gets easier is a liar; it most definitely does not get easier. But everything you’ve done in high school has prepared you to be successful in college. You are older, more mature, and ready for the new challenge. College requires you to take complete responsibility rather than have a teacher guide you through the process. You don’t have to go to class every day if you don’t feel like it, but the midterm counts for a third of your grade. It will be hard and you will want to rip your hair out some days, but if you take it seriously you’ll be ready for it.

4. Money is an important thing to think about.

When I started looking at colleges my junior year of high school, the thought of coming out with over a hundred thousand dollars in debt didn’t faze me because I figured I’d be making the big bucks once I got out. Now I look back and laugh because coming up with that amount of money is much easier said than done, especially straight out of college. I ended up choosing a school that I could pay for without loans, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. That’s not to say you should give up your dream school because of money, but it is a big factor to consider. Money is one of the biggest stressors for college students; the “broke college student” stereotype is no joke.

5. Staying local for college isn’t the end of the world.

Most high school juniors are caught up in the thrill of getting as far away from their hometown as possible; they often underestimate everything they’d be leaving behind. Every school on my preliminary list was on a coast, far away from my Midwestern roots. My parents made me apply to the University of Illinois in my hometown as a backup, but when sanity returned to me the spring of my senior year I chose to go there. Sure, I may have missed out on experiencing a new place, but it was right for me. Don’t discount what’s right in front of you, and don’t let other people make you feel bad for considering somewhere close. You need to figure out what’s right for you.

6. Being top ten percent in your high school class doesn’t mean you’ll be top ten percent in your college class.

This was one of the hardest things for me to wrap my head around because I’ve always been a big fish in a small pond. It’s important to remember that everyone admitted to your college was one of the smartest people in their high school, and this is good: it means you’re studying alongside smart people who will challenge you and help you achieve new levels of intellectual curiosity. College is less about competing with others and more about maximizing yourself personally.

7. Be open to every opportunity.

I entered college with a very closed mind about what I wanted to do, and because of that, I missed out on a lot of great opportunities that I can’t get back now. You may think you have it all figured out in high school (I even made a four-year course plan for myself the day I accepted to University of Illinois), but really you just have a rough idea of where you want to go. These big plans and dreams are great, but don’t let an idea you came up with when you were sixteen years old dictate your college career. Take on whatever exciting opportunity comes your way, and it will shape you into exactly who you are supposed to be.