A lot of people try to give you advice before college -- stay focused on your studies, get involved in clubs, make connections, go to office hours -- the recommendations are numerous and almost always the same. Many of them are useful, but many are not, and after hearing the same advice over and over again, it’s easy to block them out. I had graduated, I was an adult, now; I knew what I was doing, and besides, I was going to have the same college experience as every other college student, ever. However, looking back, there are some things I realized, and some really valuable pieces of advice and reassurances that I wish someone had given me for day one.

There’s nothing wrong with you if you don’t get extremely homesick.

On move-out day, I was ready. More than ready. College was starting, I had a place all to myself (and my roommate), and many adventures to go on. My mother, on the other hand, was not, and I felt terrible about it. I felt wrong for being ready to start a new chapter in my life, because she wasn’t ready and after all, she was the adult, so I certainly should not have been ready. However, not everyone has the same homesickness the classic college freshman experiences -- everyone has their own level of independence and desire for change. For me, I was elated to have a fresh start and a huge change in my life, and it seemed to be coming at a natural time. I was not a horrible person for only vaguely missing home. Now, I’m exciting to go home, but equally excited to start a new semester in the fall.

It’s OK to drop a class you’re struggling in if it’s not a requirement.

I decided to take Beginning Arabic last fall for no other reason than it seemed like a really fun class to take, and it might make me look unique on a resume. The first few weeks were okay, but once we finished the alphabet, I was completely lost. I didn’t understand the grammar, the homework was impossible, and I couldn’t even memorize sets of vocabulary. In high school, I never switched classes because there just weren’t that many options, and I felt I had some important duty to stick it out despite hating it. But in college, there can be hundreds of different options to fill that spot. Keeping a class you took for fun on your schedule that’s going to end up killing your GPA because you want to stick it out just isn’t a good idea, and in college, it isn’t a necessity. If you’re going to struggle in a class, it should be a class you have to take, because college is stressful enough, and fun classes should be there to enrich your knowledge, not turn you into a ball of anxiety 24/7.

It’s OK to change your mind.

Oftentimes, in high school, you know what you’re going to do with your life and that’s that. There are no other options. You are going to do this one thing, come hell or high water. I was going to be pre-med and become a physician’s assistant, no matter what. I knew that this would pretty much guarantee me a job anywhere so long as I got through school, but I was still nervous about it and I didn’t know why. In my mind, nothing could go wrong, it was fool-proof. What had gone wrong was that I just didn’t really want to do it. I wanted the good job security, benefits, and being able to work in the medical field. I didn’t really want to be a physician’s assistant. A few months into college, I decided to go to a talk given by the Global Health Studies department, and I fell in love with public health. Over vacation, I realized I wanted to change my mind, and it scared me a lot. I’m a planner, I don’t like changing my plans. But change my plans I did, and I’m a lot happier for it. My future is filled with many possibilities, and although I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, I’m excited for what the future might bring.

It’s OK to let your new friends know you’re drowning.

When you have new friends, all you want to do is impress them so you can keep them as your friends.The last thing you want to do is scare them off. But the thing is, everyone on campus is forming new friendships. Everyone is still in that awkward new relationship stage while simultaneously going through the perils of college. I definitely had some times during my first semester when my anxiety was at its worst and I could barely function, but chose not to say anything because I was afraid of what my new friends would think of me. The friends I had then are still friends I have now, and I know I’ll have them for many years to come. Sharing my struggles would not have made them run away, which is something I wish I realized a few months ago.

Getting involved in things really is important.

I decided only to participate in one of our choirs my first semester to keep my schedule as light as possible. However, I found myself getting so bogged down in my work, with only one-and-a-half hours a week where I forced myself to focus on something other than my coursework. This left me with little relaxing time and little to be proud of, as pretty much all I had to show for the semester was the papers I turned in. Now, I’m a writer for the Odyssey, PR Chair for my sorority, and on the Mock Trial team. I have several hours a week I dedicate to other things, and instead of adding more stress, they have reduced my stress, and taught me how to put my divide my focus among several things that are important. My classes are still my top priority, except perhaps to myself. I am putting myself first this semester, and I’m doing that by having other things in my life besides getting the highest grades possible.