9 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE COLLEGE

Let's get right into it. 10 things I wish knew before starting college.

1. ratemyprofessor.com - the site every teacher hates, but every student loves

One of the things that I wish I had done and taken more seriously was the teachers that I would be having for my classes. When I applied for my classes this spring semester I really took advantage of ratemyprofessor.com but I wish I did that more for my first semester. Basically, if you don't know what it is it's a website where you can type in your university and the teachers name that you could potentially be registering for their class and it'll tell you 1 through 5 how well people recommend them and then students that had them can leave a review on their classes, requirements that they had and so on. It's a lifesaver!

2. Plan your route in advance

I don't live on campus, which means that before the first day of school I was in my house I wasn't on campus to walk around or do anything like that. I remember the first day of school, I was so lost. Luckily I gave myself enough time to drive to campus, find parking, and then find my classes, but I was struggling. I had Google Maps on and it was really nerve-racking. Even though I did the orientation in the summer you don't actually pay attention to where everything is. With the adrenaline, you're meeting everybody, I would highly recommend, before your first day of classes, look at your schedule and walk that route. That way you're not stressed.

3. Don't overbuy supplies - unless you love all the colored pens and stuff, then go for it

Here is a list of things that I used for my first day of school and that I still use today: a calculator, 1 or a maximum of 2 big spirals 5 subject notebook, mechanical pencils or pen, iPad or computer, and of course a planner. And that's pretty much it. Don't stress about the supplies, it's not like middle school and high school where you need glue and flashcards and all that good stuff, but of course, you can still do that if you want but it's not a necessity.

4. Choose your seat wisely

Where you sit on the first week will 99.9 percent have an impact on you in some way, regarding friends, your work ethic, and your experience in that class in general. On my first day of school, I sat in the front row of all of my classes, because I know myself, if I sit in the back I will not pay attention. I will probably talk to the people around me or look at the people in front of me and they're doing something. My attention span just solely needs to be on the professor and on the material. So I sat in the front row for all of my classes and that first week of classes I really made it a priority to turn around, look side to side, shake the peoples hands near me, introduce myself, and just get to know them. In the first class that I went to, one of my now best friends was actually a girl who sat to the left of me. She also had the same priorities of sitting in the front row and we ended up hitting it off, becoming best friends. Being in college you want to find the people who are going to be genuine great friends, uplift you, motivate you,...

5. No one is holding your hand - you want to be treated like an adult, you better act like one then

No one gets a report of your grades. No one tells you: "hey it's time to get you gotta go to class in 30 minutes. No one regulates when you eat when you take a shower, anything really. You're on your own. Professors don't care if your dog ate your homework. Your mom can't be there to help you make friends. It is a really big test of maturity and independency. For the first year, many people have a really good experience or a really poor one. But don't let that first year give you the mindset that college is this horrible thing, it's not meant for you. I will always encourage college.

6. Food pantry!!!

There is a food pantry on almost every campus and you can literally go in and get produce, granola bars, snacks, and much more. It's just a super quick way to get a snack if you didn't take one from home and it's yummy too ;).

7. Get a waterproof backpack

If you live in a state/country where it rains a lot or it snows a lot, then you need one. How many times did it happen that I was under the rain and had to cover my backpack with my umbrella instead of myself?

8. Avoid morning/evening classes - depending on if you're a night owl or not

I'm a morning person. So I like to take as many classes as possible in the morning. The time range I typically like to take classes is 9 till no later than 1. And because I live off campus I like to cram all my classes back to back that way I'm not going to campus, leaving, going back.

9. You don't have to go out every weekend

You don't have to go out every weekend to have fun and not be in a sorority. Well, guess what I'm not in a sorority I have six really good friends that I've made here some of whom are in my friend group, in my church, and even in my class. I still love going to parties and stuff but just not every weekend and this is just for me. If you want to go out every weekend then go for it.

I hope this helped some of you. I wish you all the best for the year that lies ahead of you <3