We all know the basic college packing list by now...

Bedding? Check.
Toothbrush? Check.
Ramen? Check.
Coffee? Check.
Books? Check.

...But all too often, we forget some of the most important things needed for college life.
Eagerness to learn, check.
Ambition...check?
Open mind...check?
Strong resilience, ummm...checcckk?
Ability to write a five-page paper in three hours at 2 a.m....wait, what?

And it is becoming so much more difficult to figure out exactly what it is you need. Well, I am entering my senior year of college at a school 14 hours from my home and, although I still have a lot to learn, I picked up a few tricks along the way. Here are some of the things that you should mentally pack to help you adjust to the college culture while maintaining your sanity.

1. Say yes.

Starting your time as a college student, you suddenly are faced with so many options and opportunities. College is a time of discovery, a time where we are pushed to find ourselves. So, here’s the challenge: unlocking parts of ourselves that we didn’t know existed. And, the way we do this is by embracing those options and opportunities. There are so many events, organizations, friend groups and more that become available to you, and if you start off your college career by branching out, trying something new, you can unlock unknown talents, fears, kinships, and so much more.

Say yes.

Say yes to everything you can stand. Say yes to trying improv, to going out to eat with your new roommate’s friends, to the mission trip to Kentucky, to applying for that leadership opportunity. Not everything will be sugar-coated and pure, but it will absolutely give you greater personal insight, help you develop relationships, and learn something new.

2. Get out of your dorm.

The worst thing you can do for yourself is isolate yourself from your environment. You have to seize the day, open the door and engage in personal contact. One of the most incredible perks of the college culture is the exponential rate at which relationships form. You can know someone for a month and feel like you have 6 years of friendship under your belt. Forming these relationships, these connections beyond yourself, is essential to your happiness during your education. I’ve seen it happen: someone gets stuck in their dorm, whether over-extending themselves academically, uncomfortable with opening up to others, or not happy with their immediate company, and they stay in their dorm. Over-studying is detrimental to your educational capacity, refusing to face your fears leaves you alone and scared, and refusing to look harder for a kindred soul will leave you lonely and bitter. College is about learning, growing, becoming a better version of yourself, and the best way to do that is to enjoy your experience and make the most out of it, and that can’t happen if you never leave your dorm. (And for you commuters out there, replace dorm with house. Make an effort to be part of the culture, part of the conversation, because you are too.)

3. Keep consistent contact with your parents.

The shift to college is a huge transition for you. There will be new people, new places, and new experiences. You start to gain and assert your independence. But, you aren’t the only one affected. You grew up with your parents, a constant in their life for 18 years, and suddenly you are gone. Your personality, your habits, your preferences are all imprinted in lives of your family, and although you are starting on a new path, they are continuing on the old, trying to fill your absence. It is important that you recognize the love and care they have for you, that you recognize that your family is going through the same transition. This is why your parents care so much, it’s why they still want to know where you are at all times, it’s why they long to hear your voice. Keep contact with your family, let them know that you love them, you appreciate their support, you miss them too. As someone who attends school 14 hours from home, you start to miss the routine. So take it from me: set up a daily/weekly time to call home and check-in, create new routines, new traditions together, but keep your family a part of your life.

4. Welcome change.

Change is inevitable, unstoppable, it happens over time and we learn to adapt. But, the thing about the college culture is that the whole world spins faster there than anywhere else. Relationships are kindled faster, you grow exponentially faster, time flashes by; it is almost as if three years are packed into each semester of school. Because of this, we, as members of the college culture, are forced to embrace the unstoppable force of change at a greater rate, a rate that forces us to adapt and shift our point of view and niche in life instantaneously. But change is good; it forces us to learn, to grow, to use the skills we’ve been taught our whole life. We go from the monotony of a teenage lifestyle to the whirlwind pace of a college environment. Start embracing the shift in time and recognize that not only is change inevitable, but it is a learning experience and opportunity to push ourselves and grow.

5. Be true to yourself.

Simply, be true to who you are. So many pressures exist in the real world. But, in a college culture, you live, eat, learn, work, and play with the same people in a concentrated setting, so the pressures skyrocket. I urge you to learn to trust your instincts, determine your own path, stay true to who you are and who you want to be, regardless of outward pressures. Because, in the long run, college is the opportunity to grow, shape, and become who we want to be, so we must trust ourselves and learn to live each day open and ready to tackle the world in our own personal style.