Your boxes are packed. The XL twin comforter has been bought. The last minute "there goes my baby" mom tears have been shed. And your heart is ready to enter into the next step of where this crazy, beautiful life is going to bring you.

As the fall semester approaches, you are going to be introduced into a brand new environment with unfamiliar faces that are going to be welcoming you at every turn you make. You are going to be sitting in a dorm room with an old friend or a complete stranger and in classrooms filled with other students that are experiencing the same nervousness and anxiety. Your professors will welcome you, the faculty will congratulate you and the upperclassmen will make it their job to make sure you know you're the newbies on campus (in the nicest way possible).

This is but the beginning of where your path is going to unfold, and you should be willing to take advantage of everything that it has to offer, even if you could never imagine yourself doing so three months ago. Let this be an anthem for every incoming college student to live by, and myself to take as I enter into my second year.

Join every club on campus, whether the National Honor Society or The Future Burger Eaters of America. This is where you are going to make connections with people who are interested in the same activities/movement/hobbies as you are and create close friendships. Also, it looks prestige on a resume to show you were involved.

Leave your dorm room door open during the day. It not only shows that you're susceptible to meeting those living in your residence hall but even flashing a smile to someone passing by can start up a conversation and result in a blossoming friendship.

Always make time for adventures and studying. You are at college for an education, and while there is going to be an enormous amount of exciting things to experience, you are there to learn and gain knowledge. Make sure that you finish your schoolwork before you begin to make plans with friends or decide to engage in a campus activity. On the other hand, allow a couple of hours to hang out with your friends, go ENO-ing on campus, or see a movie with someone new. Finding the balance between discipline in study and opportunity for excitement is where you will be most prosperous.

Never be afraid to ask for help. Believe it or not, your professors and advisors are there to help you succeed through your college passage. They will be more than willing to invest their time to ensure that you understand and comprehend all that is being given to you. And if for some reason they decide not too, there is a million and one resources on campus that are built to aid you in becoming a premium student.

Remember to call your parents every once in a while. While you are creating a new life for yourself there is always an old one that will forever be a part of you. Even though your parents might be putting up a front, they miss you undeniably. Take a couple minutes out of your day just to catch them up on what all you have been involved in and all of the incredible people you have come in contact with. Your mom and dad are going to be there whether you are in a valley or on a mountaintop, but to keep them informed in between makes all the difference.

Get involved in a local church. One of the most important things about growing in college is growing in your walk with Christ and grow with others who share your value. Find a church that suits your likings, with an awesome college program and make connections you will not receive in the classroom. It will give you the opportunity to meet new people and keep you focus on the One who matters most.

Lastly, remember to enjoy every second of these next four years. Even as a sophomore, I have a long roadway ahead of me before I put on my cap and gown and receive my diploma, but just like high school, it will be gone in a blink. This is where we discover who we are supposed to be in this world, and you do not want to waste in on wishing some of the best days to be over. There are going to be times where you are ready to throw in the towel and head on home to be in your mother's arms but withhold. Mold these next four years into everything you ever wanted them to become and find yourself doing things you have only imagined, because this is where your dreams become a reality and your reality becomes everything you have ever dreamed of.