I've almost completed my first year at Baylor University, and it simultaneously feels like I've been here for four years and also been here for two weeks. The thought of being a sophomore next fall is intimidating, but I'm beyond excited. I'm ready to encourage freshman to not make the same mistakes that I did. I have learned countless important things in my classes, but I've learned even more from just living at college and from experiences.

So, here is a list of 10 things that I've learned in college that they don't teach in a classroom.

1. Sleep is honestly the most important thing EVER.

I've always loved sleep, but I never realized its true importance until I was up until 3 a.m. every night for a week and then tried to wake up at 7 a.m. for my class at 8 a.m. I have learned that all-nighters suck, and honestly, I 10/10 would not recommend them. Get your sleep in!

2. Time management is a skill that you don't have, and you need to learn it.

You may think that you have great time management skills leaving high school. I mean, you hardly had homework, and were in three sports and multiple extracurriculars, in addition to having a job. Trust me, I've been there. But college time management is NOTHING like high school.

Sure, I could handle my 3 jobs, full-time sport, and multiple extracurriculars in high school, but in college, I could barely get my homework done before 3 a.m. (leading to those all-nighters I've mentioned before). Spend time figuring out your most productive schedule. You'll thank me later.

3. Get help for your classes before you've fallen behind.

As a straight-A student who thought I knew everything, it was a bit of a shock to come to Baylor and realize I didn't know everything. I learned that the resources on campus, such as the writing center and tutoring, are things that everyone should take advantage of. Whether you're in a foreign language class or need help in calculus, get the help before you fall behind.

4. Dining hall food is only good for the first three weeks.

I was so excited coming to college at the possibility of eating food that wasn't from a high school cafeteria. And honestly, for the first three weeks, it was great. Pizza became a food group, and I had an unlimited supply of pop. But after those first few weeks, I couldn't eat there anymore. Pace yourself. And get fast food a lot.

5. You're going to need to set yourself a Starbucks budget. Or find a friend who works at Starbucks.

First of all, you should learn how to budget when you're coming into college anyway, but you're going to want to budget for Starbucks. I don't care if you don't like Starbucks coming into college (I definitely didn't), because you're going to like it by the time you leave. Whether you're there for a Frappuccino or a sandwich, Starbucks becomes an addiction. So limit yourself with how many drinks you get, or get a friend who works at Starbucks who can help you out. I'm lucky — I have both.

6. Skipping class can be OK, as long as you only do it once in a while.

Your parents (and probably mine, too) are going to 100% disagree with me on this one, but trust me, sometimes you need to skip class. You might be sick with the flu, exhausted from your week-long all-nighter binge, need to work on homework for another class, or maybe you just don't want to go because it's at 8 a.m. Whatever your reason, skipping class every once in a while (not every day or even every week...I mean like once or twice) is totally OK.

7. Stack your classes to give yourself free time.

This is entirely up to personal preference, but if you want free days, stack your classes. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have one class at 8 a.m., and then I'm done for the day. That leaves me time to sleep, do homework, or watch Netflix all day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are rougher, but I think it's worth the cost.

8. Making friends with people you normally wouldn't is the best thing ever.

Ninety percent of the friends I've met in college are people I would never have hung out with in high school. Just do yourself a favor and talk to everyone. You'll thank yourself.

9. University events are really lit. And they have free food.

Two words: free food. Baylor's university-wide events usually give you free food, and they're pretty awesome, too. Especially when you get a group of friends to go.

10. College is really freaking cool.

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Go to college. You'll love it.