When I graduated from high school, I couldn't wait to move away from home. I was so excited to be somewhere new and away from a place I had known for 18 long years. Little did I know that being away at a university would be one of the hardest challenges I had to face, but it would also be the most rewarding because along with the hardships, I've also learned many valuable lessons that I wish I would have known before leaving home.

1.Home-cooked meals that you once took for granted will somehow become something you'll miss.

2. You will lose touch with people from back home that you thought you would always be friends with, and that's OK.

3. Don't skip class no matter how badly you want to. You'll be happy that you didn't in the end.

4. Do extra credit when given the opportunity. Sometimes your grade in the class depends on it.

5. Don't underestimate the work you have because putting it off will just overwhelm you in the end.

6. It's OK to change your major a few times. Find something that you're passionate about and that you'll love doing for the rest of your life.

7. You'll make new friends, but not all of them will stick around all four years of college.

8. It's OK not to have straight "A"'s all of the time. Everyone struggles with a class at some point.

9. Wait until the first day of class to buy your textbooks. You might not need all of them.

10. You'll always need your mama whether you want to admit it or not.

11. Breakdowns happen to everyone, especially college students.

12. Go to office hours and spend extra time with your professors. After hours won't hurt you; they will actually help you in the end.

13. Take plenty of notes. Don't think that you can just pay attention and get it.

14. Make sure you balance your personal life and your school life. Grades may not be everything, but they're still important.

15. If you're not a morning person, don't schedule morning classes because you are more likely to skip when you don't need to.

16. Get involved on campus. It will make your experience at college so much better.

17. Go out every once in a while. Don't sit around and waste the free time you have in college.

18. The "broke college student lifestyle" is real, and it's definitely not fun.

19. You have required courses you have to take that have absolutely nothing to do with your major.

20. Don't rush your college experience; enjoy it and make memories. It will be gone before you know it, and you'll wish it hadn't gone by so fast.

I've had my fair share of college, and I'm not done yet. Enjoy the college phase, but don't take things for granted.