1. Be open-minded.

If you are planning on going through sorority recruitment, do NOT go in with only one sorority in mind that you want to join. I only know one person who did that and got in, so chances are, you have a good chance of not receiving a bid from them.

Have recommendation letters for all of the Panhellenic sororities on campus and go in with an open mind! Forget all the stereotypes that you have heard about before about and let the right sorority pick you! Same goes with majors! I never thought on the first day of my freshman year that I would ever end up as a social work major and here I am! I also never thought I would actually end up joining a sorority either and look where I am at now!

College is the place to experiment and try new things and to be able to get that whole experience, you have to have an open mind! Also keep in mind that it is totally okay and normal to change your major more than once! Most people I know did! Do something that makes you happy and that you enjoy!

Just because you may be really good something does not mean that you would enjoy doing that for the rest of your life. It is also totally okay to go into your freshman year undeclared! I did not officially declare my major until this past April! Yes, I know the pressure to pick a major right away but make sure it is what is right for you!

2. Live in the community dorms.

I lived in a suite-style dorm my freshman year with three other random roommates that I did not know before and I totally regret it. While the Quads were super nice and had tons of amenities that the other dorms do not have including a dining hall and a computer lab, it was very antisocial and I really didn't make that many friends there.

I often felt very lonely sitting alone in the study rooms or my own suite there. I got my own room, which was nice, but I felt like I totally missed out on the freshman dorm experience. That was one of the main reasons I decided to live in Humphreys my sophomore year.

Humphreys, or as most people call it, Hump Dump, is mostly freshmen populated, but there are some upperclassmen that live there due to it being one of the cheapest and most centrally-located dorms on campus. Living in Humphreys as a sophomore was an awesome decision! I made friends that I don't think I would have made anywhere else and the place has an awesome community!

I am always meeting new people in the study rooms on each floor and bonding with my neighbors on my own floor! Like I said before, Humphreys is one of the most centrally-located dorms on campus, so I can sleep in a lot later than I did when I lived in the Quad, which was by none of my classes. Humphreys is located right behind the Brough dining hall, which is the main dining hall, as well as Starbucks, the Founders food court and Quizno's, and it is also right across from both Kimpel Hall and the Business Building.

So yeah, live in the community dorms your freshman year! You won't regret it!

3. Call your parents often. They miss you.

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but yeah, your parents miss you more than anyone else out there and they want to know every little detail about your college experience! I basically called my mom every single night during my freshman year and I do not regret that one single bit!

4. There's so much more to get involved in than just Greek Life.

If you want to be in either a sorority or a frat, GO FOR IT! However, if you do not get into a srat or just don't picture yourself being in one, IT IS OKAY! When I announced where I was planning on going to school, so many people asked me whether or not I was rushing, and when I said no, they told me to reconsider it and that I was missing out.

One common stereotype about the U of A is that most of the student body is involved with Greek life, and while I do feel that a lot of students are, a lot aren't! Srats are a huge time commitment and are very costly, with dues costing thousands each year. Greek life definitely isn't for everybody and that is totally okay! There are RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) for just about anything on campus, whether it'd be for your major or religion or political party or special interests!

There are also professional service sororities and fraternities for most majors on campus as well! Join an intramural sports team or volunteer at the Volunteer Action Center or a campus Bible study such as Cru or BCM! Get involved with something outside of your major! Make some friendships and memories that will last a lifetime!

5. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE, but also, don't overwork yourself.

I was really bad about procrastinating and not studying hard enough during the second semester of my freshman year. My grades started out really good but once I came back from spring break, they sank like Titanic, but thankfully my professors liked me enough to round my 79s to 80s!

However, that is definitely not the case with all professors, so do not expect them to round up your grades. Make flashcards for that test two weeks before, turn in that paper before the due date and write a little at a time each day rather than writing it all in one night, and start practicing that audition music that day you get it! However, do not overwork yourself and stress out too much.

I definitely have a tendency to do that and it has definitely backfired! Sleep is not a luxury, you need it to be healthy! Do not pull all-nighters, even if it's before the final. Get a good night's sleep and set yourself a curfew! Mine right now is midnight.

6. Get involved with both a church and a campus Bible study.

This is definitely my most honest piece of advice! Speaking from my own personal experience, it is very easy to lose your faith in college and get sucked into temptations whether it be partying, hanging with the wrong crowd, sex, drinking, sleeping in on Sundays or gossip.

In my opinion, the best way to avoid falling into that crowd who abandoned their faith is by getting involved with BOTH a church and a small-group Bible study, whether it be on campus or through your church. Do not only get involved with one of them, do both! No campus ministry can take the place of going to church! Try all the churches and small groups out so you can see which one is right for you. Do not just join one because all your friends go there.

One great thing that I love about my church, First Baptist Church, is that I am able to meet so many people of all different ages and learn from them! One of the big reasons why I joined Phi Lamb my 2nd semester was because I felt that I was starting to lose my faith in Christ and I needed to surround myself with strong Christian women who would be a good influence on me as well as hold me accountable.

For my small-group, I am a part of the Band Bible Study, which is divided up by gender so my group is all female. It doesn't really matter in my opinion if your small group is co-ed or not, however I do feel that in single-sex small groups, from my own personal experience, you feel much more comfortable to share deeper thoughts compared to co-ed groups.

7. You are going to fail at something. Accept it.

Unless you are just super lucky, you are most likely going to fail a test or paper at some point during college. It is not the end of the world. Learn from your mistakes for the next time. Nobody is perfect and I'm 100% sure that everyone I know has failed at something during their life, whether it'd be a test, an audition, an interview or a class or something else.

8. You don't have to party to have an awesome college experience.

I've never gone to a frat or Dickson Street party before in the year and a half I've been living in Fayetteville and I am still loving my college experience so far! Parties don't sound like they are really my thing and I would rather have fun with things like going to IHOP at midnight or watching movies with my friends. It's okay to not party and don't feel that you have to!

9. Take mental health days and have fun!

Spend a Saturday where you do nothing productive every once in a while! Sleep in till noon, go to Mexico Viejo or the Devil's Den or Crystal Bridges, have a Netflix marathon and go to Whataburger at midnight to get a honey butter chicken biscuit! Have a day that's all about you because you deserve it! Just don't have them too often. Every once in a while is totally fine!

10. Do not be ashamed of your political and personal views, but at the same time, respect everyone else's views.

One great thing about the U of A is that there are plenty of people who voted for Trump, plenty who voted for Hillary, and even quite a few who voted third party. Some of us are pro-life, some of us are pro-choice. When I came to the U of A, I thought that everyone there would be super liberal, but I later learned that my school is actually very diverse when it comes to political views.

However, do not be one of those people who blocks everyone on Facebook who voted for [insert name here]. Do not be one of those people who makes assumptions and judges everyone who voted for [insert name here]. Do not call someone "stupid" because they voted for [insert name here].

Same goes with religion too! Be willing to listen to those with opposing views. That is part of the beauty of college, this is your time to learn all about the world and the people that make it up. Someone is not going to agree with you and that is totally okay. Listen and learn from them.

11. Wear flip flops, Chacos or some kind of shoes in the community dorm showers.

Just do it. I won't go into much detail, but they only clean the showers on weekdays. The showers are not cleaned on weekends, so they get pretty gross by Sunday night.

12. Respect your roommate. Do not sexile them or throw parties every night, etc.

If you are going to have sex with someone in your own dorm room, make sure your roommate is okay with it, and also make sure that they will be out for a while. Do not "sexile" them, or kick them out for the night.

Also, do not have sex in your roommate's bed, they will hate you for life. That actually happened to someone I knew. If you are going to have guests over all the time, especially boys, be sure to let your roommate know first.

Do not drink, do drugs, smoke or vape in the dorm. Be nice and respectful to your roommate, do not be rude to them. Also, be sure to tidy up your side of the room every week. Do not leave food, dirty dishes, or trash out. Also, if you do not feel comfortable with your roommate, do not be afraid to move out.

One of my biggest regrets of freshman year is not moving out immediately when I had the chance. I was too scared that I would be put in Pomfret or one of those older dorms, but looking back, I would have rather been at the bottom of the hill than in a nice dorm with roommates that I did not get along with.

13. Use your flex dollars wisely.

Flex dollars are extra money that you get with your meal plan. They can be used for anything food/drink-related on campus. You can use them at Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, Einstein's, Flying Burrito, or my favorite, Freshen’s, or anywhere else on campus! However, you only get so many each semester, so do not use them every single day on a caramel macchiato at Starbucks before your 8 am class.

14. Do not take an 8 a.m. class, unless you absolutely have to.

Just don't do it. 8 am classes are awful, and most likely, you would be tempted to ditch and sleep in. I took an 8:30 class my freshman year and I hated having to get up that early. I honestly do not know how I got up every morning at 5:45 for school.

15. Last but not least, stick it out the whole year!

My first semester was very tough, and I considered transferring back home at the end of the semester. However, I stuck it out for the whole year and I am so glad I did. It took me a while to find my place here, but I eventually did and it felt awesome! Give the school a chance!