Dear College Freshman,

I know what you're thinking. Fun AND hard? You can't have both. Something that's hard work isn't fun. And I get it. No one expects anything that involves hard work to be fun.

But college is the exception that proves that rule.

Now, I'm not saying that college is only fun if you work hard. I'm sure you can think of numerous people who have a lot of fun in college and do little to no work. But what I am saying is that you'll get your best college experience if you work hard and have fun. And of course, it's always about finding the right balance between work and play.

Yes, college is supposed to be hard work.

After all, you're working towards your future career, whether that be a teacher, a doctor, an artist, or even an astrophysicist. You'll be taking classes at a much higher level than in high school, and each year, your classes will become more and more focused on your major, while also increasing in difficulty.

And in order to get the results you need to move on to those higher level and advanced classes (trust me, you may balk at "advanced classes", but if you get the chance to take them, you really should), you'll need to put in work to get the grades you need- most classes require you to get a certain grade in prerequisite courses. Yes, some people (including one of my close friends) barely have to study to get good grades. But not everyone is this blessed, so be prepared to hit the books, and review and revise. By the way, forget about cramming for exams. You'll get much better results if you study hard over the course of several weeks, not all in one night.

At the same time, college is definitely supposed to be fun.

You're living on your own (well, on your own with a roommate) for the first time, and there's so many new and exciting experiences to be had. There's parties to go to, clubs to join, friends to meet, and memories to be made. Yes, you have to work hard, but you should definitely get out there and experience college life. A huge part of college (besides putting in the work to get the grades) is experiencing new things. My mother once told me that "college is all the freedom of adulthood, with only a few of the responsibilities", and that's true. You have all the freedom of living away from home and being able to be your own person, but don't have to worry about filing taxes, picking kids up from school or sports practices, or paying off a mortgage. Now is the perfect time in life to get out there and have fun.

Even if partying isn't your thing, there are clubs and intramural teams to join, games to go to, and thousands of people to meet.

No matter where you choose to go to college, I promise that there is definitely something on campus for you. So get out there and have some fun- just remember to study.