College is an exciting time that often means packing up and moving away from home. However, there are a few things that you should leave at home.
1. All those extra t-shirts
While it may be tempting to pack up your entire wardrobe to bring to school, you really won't need all of those extra outfits, especially all of those t-shirts. Really, they just take up a lot of space that you will desperately need. You'll likely be living in a space the size of a large closet, so you can imagine that the closet space is even smaller. If you're really tempted, pack only your favorites or most comfortable ones or ones that you will need (for workouts or sports) because no one will really care if you wear the same t-shirt every week just so long as you wash it. If you don't wear it regularly at home, you 9 times out of 10 will not wear it regularly enough at college either. Plus, packing "nicer" outfits gets you ready to get dressed for your jobs in the future depending on your career path. There's nothing wrong with bumming it every once and awhile, but you should try to dress up a little too.
2. That high school attitude
Whether it was the best four years of your life or the worst or somewhere in between, you really should leave your high school self back where it belongs: high school. If you were the most popular, you shouldn't come in automatically assuming that you will be handed a place at the top of the totem pole, but even more so, if you weren't where you wanted to be in high school, don't come into college assuming that you will be in the same place. College is your chance to be the person you want to be, and it's a blank slate most of the time. Most people won't know you coming in, so you should want them to get to know you as the person you want to be.
3. That fear that you'll never make friends
Friendships that time to cultivate and grow, and most of the time, they don't happen overnight. Even those groups who immediately click and come together are still facing the same fears that they really don't know their new "bestie" very well. Friendships and relationships take time to form; after all, you may be a little skeptical of a relationship that happens after the people literally met a day ago. The same is true for friendships: they take time. If you haven't immediately found someone, that's okay too! Most friend groups, if they're still together, have been dramatically altered by the end of the year.
4. Then, that notion that you need to stay friends
You may end up finding out that your new college best friend really isn't the person that you thought they were when you first met. After the veneer of the first days of college have worn off, you can find that people are dramatically different than what you thought either for the better or for the worst. If you end up not meshing well or don't like the people you are hanging out with, the truth is you don't need to hang out with them. It's different from high school in that fact that depending on the size of your school, you may only see them in passing or maybe never again. Be kind. Be civil, but do what's best for you. If that means changing up your friend group because you're unhappy, do it.
5. That "I Can't" attitude
We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but that "I can't" attitude needs to be checked at the door. There are going to be things that are more challenging than others, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to succeed. I'm not the most apt in math, but I wanted to do my best. Because I was willing to work hard, I ended at the top of my math class. I also joined my college tennis team through a strange set of events, despite never having plated before. I almost said "I can't," but decided to try anyway, and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my freshman year. I'm in a bunch of clubs and choir all because I was willing to try, so don't sell yourself short and do your best.
6. That old baggage
While you may have been hurt in the past, burned by friends, judged, don't automatically assume that this is happening in college. Reality is different now, and this is something that I have learned firsthand. Smile, be positive. While everyone may not be the nicest or friendliest, that doesn't mean that's what everyone is unkind or not friendly either. Don't come into college thinking that everyone is "out to get you" or doesn't care. Everyone is in that same brand new, awkward boat, even upperclassmen who are settling into new dorms, positions, and classes. Just do your best, and you'll be doing just fine.
