For many of us college is more than just studying to get a degree. It is a place to grow and develop, it is a time to find our selves (or to loose ourselves), it is where we cry of happiness one day and of stress the next. College is where many learn to live and cope with stress, anxiety, spiritual battles, even depression. College is a place where many life choices are made and many life lessons are learned. College has given me some of the best experiences and some of the worst as well, it is a place were I have spilled tears of joy and tears of sorrow, a place that has given me life and taken years out of it as well. But most important of all it has taught me many lessons that have helped me grow along the way.

These are some of the "valuable" lessons I, a 20 year old mess of a woman, have learned this past semester.

1. Sleeping the right amount of time is more important than you think:

Especially if you have morning classes or an early shift at work. I had to learn this the tough way this semester when I started sleeping over my alarms due to going to sleep around 2 am constantly for the past few months. Sleeping in a little late may not sound as bad for everyone but when your school is an hour long drive away and work is a 30 minute commute every second counts. Most importantly our body NEEDS to get a certain amount of hours of sleep in order to replenish, heal, and grow. Sleeping too much or too little will take a toll on you not only physically but also mentally. So if you plan on keeping that GPA up you may want to start getting a grip over your sleeping schedule.

2. Saying NO is not bad:

I have struggled a lot when it comes to saying no to people. I am naturally a people pleaser and up until this semester something in me believed that everyone would like me better if I helped them as much as I could, often times at the expense of my own priorities. Don't get me wrong, If you can help someone you should 100% do it but you should make sure it will not affect your priorities. I found myself putting my work and my "friendships" before my school and even before God all because I couldn't say no to them.

3. Finding time to be with God should be a daily priority:

Whether you start your day with God or you end it with him it is crucial to get some time alone to learn, to talk, and to hear God. This semester I found myself feeling lost and trying to fill up a void in my heart. As I tackled why I felt this way I came to find that I had stopped making God a priority and rather left him in my "if I have time I'll get to it" pile. As college students we tend to feel like we are running out of time. Many of us struggle with time keeping and as we desperately try to fit in school, work, social life, workout time, sleep, relaxation, etc. in our schedules we tend to leave God's time for when it is convenient, or only for Sundays, or worse we completely forget to give him time. In the end a life without God is a life without guidance and purpose (something we all need to have, especially in college) so it is highly important to set at least 15 or 30 minutes a day to spend in prayer and in his word. It is important that we listen to him and that we look for him always, not only 5 minutes before we take that test we didn't study for.

4. Pack a lunch as much as possible:

I'm not gonna lie I still suck at this one just as much as I suck at getting my necessary hours of sleep. Combine both and what do you have? Someone that is out of the house for extended periods of time that ends up going to Taco bell and Starbucks more than anyone should. A proper nutrition is important not only for good physical health but also to mental health and development. Getting the right macro nutrients in will provide your body with the necessary components for proper development and to endure the "daily grind". Not only is home made food better for you it is also better for your wallet. Eating out for just one meal a day every day for a month will average you an expense of anywhere between $90 and $300 dollars. Now I'm no expert but as a broke college student that is an expense I know I shouldn’t be having every month. Grocery shopping on the other side will average between $50 and $150 a month so that is definitely the route to go.

5. Pray all the time, everywhere:

This semester I learned how important it is to keep an open channel of communication with God. It is important that we are praying constantly like 1 Thessalonians 5 says "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." You don't always have to close your eyes, or be by yourself in order to be in constant communication with Christ. Pray to him in your mind, with your heart, hear for his guidance, pay attention to what the holy spirit has to say to you. Pray in your car, at work, in the middle of that insufferable class. Ask Christ for help the second a problem arises not until you "get a chance to do it". Thank him as soon as something grate happens. Be in prayer always.

6. Truly try to make real friendships in your classes:

Yes, you probably won't see most of the people you are in class with ever again but you never know who you could meet. If you are anything like me you probably struggle to spark up a conversation with a total stranger plus lets face it most of us get to class with two goals only: 1. to learn as much as possible for the final and 2. to get out of there as soon as possible. But nothing will make a class as enjoyable as having a friend around you who will struggle and suffer through boring lectures and crazy tests with you. I have made some amazing friends this past semester and it truly made this horrible semester a little bit more bearable. I came into this semester feeling lonely and bored out of my mind in every class to having great friendships that make you wonder how different the semester would have been without them. Plus it is easier to find someone who will help you out and share notes with you if you are friends.

7. Ask people how they are doing/feeling… and truly mean it:

There is not a single human in this planet who has never had a bad day. Most of us have them every once in a while and more often than we would like to. But if there is one thing that can change a day around is realizing that your are cared for. Ask your classmates how they are doing and truly listen. Pay an interest to what those around you say and how they act. Not only will you improve their day but you may be the only positive note that day has for them. Make it your goal to have real conversations and invested interactions. Listen. It will be rewarding not only to them but also to you because they will remember and one day when you walk into class late looking like a mess with that stressed look that is surely giving you wrinkles in the face they will notice and they will ask you how you are and they will truly mean it too.