Freshman Year: 17 Lessons Learned

Freshman year of college is the most exciting, stressful and fun time of your life. In just one year, you get to do so much; from taking classes you actually want to take, to feeling like a real adult who is figuring out what you want to do with your life, to making new friends, to partying, to discovering things about yourself, to having mental breakdowns about life and school and finals, to never wanting the year to end. Of course, while it is all happening, you have no idea what’s going on and the effect it will have on you, but here are a few things I learned from my freshman year that might benefit you:

The freshman 15 is real. Even if it doesn’t happen to you, you will witness people you know going through it.
Getting late night buffalo chicken pizza will grant you instant satisfaction, but you will regret eating it later.
No matter how many times you tell yourself you will eat better, you won’t. Even if you try, you will soon realize it’s almost impossible to do so when eating on
Manage your flex. It is possible to run out of it in just half a semester. Don’t let that happen to you because once flex is gone, you can’t add more.
Roommates don’t always equal best friends.
It’s good to branch out and try new things, especially joining clubs. You might surprise yourself and find new things you like and are good at.
You will figure out what you want to major in. If you come in undeclared, don’t worry. Eventually you will realize what you want to do.
Becoming friends with people who are different from you is great. It leads to a lot of fun, new experiences, and you might even discover new things about yourself.
The people who live in your dorm might just become your best friends/family.
You will miss home. You’ll miss your friends, your family, your pets, your bed, your parents’ cooking and your town, but it will be okay because you love your school.
You don’t need to go out every night of every weekend. Staying in can be just as satisfying.
When it comes to partying, you may think you know your limits at first, but you don’t. You will go too far one night and feel terrible for putting your friends through that.
You will do things you regret, but don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s college. Everyone is going to make mistakes.
No matter how good of a student you think you are, you will need to study. It doesn’t matter if you had a 4.0 in high school and never had to study before. To do well in your classes, you need to study.
When your friends come up from home, don’t stress about what party you’re going to take them to or if you’ll be able to show them a good time. They’re coming up because they love you and want to see you. They’ll be happy no matter what.
You will go through mental breakdowns. With so much going on in your life, it is inevitable. But don’t worry, you’ll make it through. It’s just good to find a way to let out all that stress.
Freshman year will fly by. Before you know it, there’s only two weeks left and you can’t believe you have almost finished your first year of college.

You will have many ups and downs throughout your freshman year of college, but it will be worth it. Everything that happens will help prepare you for your future and teach you a lot about yourself. Enjoy your freshman year, study, and have fun. You will love it(: