10 Things I Learned My First Semester of College

This is a list of the ten things I learned my first semester of college.

1. Leave it at home.

I laughed at every person who told me not to bring all of my stuff to college. I packed up my entire room and brought it with me to school anyway. "It's not going to fit," they said. I made it fit. "You're not going to wear any of it," they said. They were right...

I have worn approximately three nice outfits since I have started school. Nike shorts and oversized T-shirts are a girl's best friend, and you aren't going to want to do a ton of laundry, so bring enough to last you two weeks.

2. Unlimited Meal Plan

Nothing excited me more than the thought of having the unlimited meal plan for school. I mean, who wouldn't love all you can eat pizza and burgers for every meal of the day? However, the burgers are more bun than burger and the pizza could use some work. I definitely learned the value of my parents cooking. There is also the fact that the cafeteria closes at 7 PM, and it's the biggest pain to have to hike halfway across campus every time I want to eat. I quickly learned that popcorn is a meal. A bag of KitKats is a meal. A cup of coffee is a meal.

And that unlimited meal plan doesn't seem nearly as wonderful when you're in the doctors office and they tell you that you've gained 18 pounds in two months... take it from me, the freshman 15 is VERY real.

3. "It's college" is an excuse.

College is the perfect time to make mistakes and you will make many MANY mistakes. The fact that you're in college is justification enough. Go out four nights a week? It's college. Throw up during your midterm because you got too hammered last night? It's college. Watch Netflix for 14 hours straight? It's college. Eat an entire large pizza by yourself? It's college. Your bank account goes into the negatives? It's college.

Are you getting the point?

4. Social Social Social Social

Rush, even if you don't join a sorority in the end. It is a great way to meet people. Especially if they're older, they can be a ton of help.

Join religious groups, clubs, etc., BE INVOLVED.

Talk to the kids you sit next to in class. Not only are they great resources, they could also end up being your best friend. Two of my closest friends, I met by making a dumb joke about my teacher. They are also great to get notes from when I miss class.

Go out, even if you aren't a drinker, you meet a lot of people and you definitely end up with a lot of stories. If you are a drinker, don't be afraid to loosen up and have fun. College is stressful and you deserve it, but never be the drunkest person in a room, make sure to always be with a friend and don't drink and drive.

5. Alone Time

I know I just told you to go out and be social. However, alone time is also an important part of college. Don't be afraid to skip a fraternity party every now and then.

Take a bath. Do a facial. Read a book. Write a journal.

College is where you're meant to find yourself, and sometimes the best way to do that is to spend some time alone.

6. Home

When living at home, I hardly ever stopped to talk to my parents.

Now, I FaceTime my parents while I am filling up my water bottle so that I can ask them about their day and I text them at least twice a week to ask them to send me pictures of my animals. There has even been times when I will step out of a party or bar to answer my parents FaceTime.

Visits home have become my favorite time and they're great for many things. One of those things being a chance to eat real food. Another thing is to remind you why you decided to go to school in a different state. Although, no matter how much they may annoy you, you're probably still going to tear up when its time to go.

7. Go to class.

I am sure every article you have read has told you the exact same thing. Go to class. Those articles would be right.

Even if you spend your time during lectures online shopping, you're still in better shape than the kids who didn't show. Especially since many teachers count participation as a grade.

And make sure you are time managing. Its easy to put everything off until the night before and then realizing you have two papers and a midterm that you are completely unprepared for. School gets a lot easier when you do yourself the favor of spacing out the work.

8. Do not buy books.

Don't get me wrong, you should definitely get your books. However, buying them is a total waste of money.

There are plenty of websites, stores and libraries that allow you to rent books. They even allow you to highlight in them so it is absolutely no different. My first semester I saved 280 dollars by renting books. The $280 really came in handy later on in the year when it was time to pay my school account balance.

9. Memories

College is a time for a ton of new memories. This is not going to be a time that you want to forget.

So start a journal. Make a scrapbook. Take tons of pictures. Take videos. Whatever it is that you have to do in order to remember it.

10. Rate My Professor

The single most valuable and life saving website to ever exist is ratemyprofessor.com

When making your schedule, you can utilize this website to look at your potential professors and find out which professors are tough, which are easy, if you really need a book, etc.

USE THIS or I will laugh in your face when you end up with a professor that barely speaks english and whose test make building a rocket ship look easy.