I had been waiting in anticipation for the start of my freshman year of college since I started high school. I had these crazy expectations and insane goals and so much to get done before move in day. Last summer was a wild one, that's for sure. Between dorm room shopping and making plans with everyone that I wasn't going to school with, I felt like I was constantly rushing around. I definitely played it off like I knew what I was doing, but in all reality, if my mom hadn't done as much as she did, I probably still wouldn't have sheets on my bed. For the last week or so, I've been thinking of other things that I guess I should've known, or at least wish I would've known coming into this year. Here are the 10 that I feel are most important:

1. You will lose friends.

You'll lose touch with a lot of people, even the people that you thought you'd have for the rest of your life.

2. You will make new best friends.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN'T STILL BINGE WATCH GREY'S ANATOMY AND EAT COOKIE DOUGH WITH YOUR BESTIES FROM HOME!!!

3. You will continue to only wear the same 5 t-shirts that you wore all through high school.

Yes, your entire life is changing. No, you will not miraculously just decide to actually put forth effort into your appearance. What good is bringing your favorite, old tees if you don't wear them everyday?

4. It's okay to make mistakes.

You're a freshman, you're kind of expected to make dumb decisions and accidentally park in the spaces reserved for staff.

5. You will be a broke college kid.

You may have a job, but that doesn't mean that you'll have money. *tears*

6. Make lists.

Grocery lists. Homework lists. To-do lists. Lists of what you need to get from home the next time you're there.

7. The advice your mom gave you in high school still applies.

Life isn't always fair. Money does not grow on trees. And just because you don't have a curfew anymore, doesn't mean that good things happen after midnight.

8. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

College is scary. I can almost guarantee that there's someone willing to help you adapt to your new life.

9. You can literally use your student ID to get discounts.

2 words: BOO YAH

10. You'll have to call home. All. The. Time.

You'll miss your mom. Immensely. But you're going to have so much fun with your new life that you're probably going to forget that after she left you, she had to continue hers, only without you. She's had to relearn how to walk through the house and not expect to see you cuddling your dog on the kitchen floor.

11. Don't be afraid to change.

You moved away from home and are no longer surrounded by the people that have influenced you in the same way for years. You get to do new things and experience things you never had the chance to try. It's okay to step out of your comfort zone. It's cool to be a different person than you used to be. No one ever said that you had to be the exact same person forever.