The thought of college to a high schooler is anything but pleasant: a new environment, new friends, and a completely new way of learning. Driving to your new school, you think: "Will I fit in?" "What if I don't make any friends?" "What if I'm different?" However, after 4 months, you come to a conclusion: "Maybe different isn't such a bad thing".

Things you learn about fitting in:

1. No one REALLY dresses that nice all the time.

Move-in day: it was basically prom, but a normal day. Everyone wore their best clothes, did their hair in the neatest possible way, and were pretty much abnormally pleasant for the entire day. You had a slight panic, thinking that you needed one last shopping trip to keep up with the latest trends before you said goodbye to your parents. You decided your own clothes were fine. If anything, you would make your own statement. You didn't need to look like everyone else...and you were right. You quickly learned that not everyone looks that perfect every day, no shopping trip needed. The obsession with dressing nice ended as soon as they unpacked their sweatpants. You learn the facts of college fashion. The coolest place to shop is the thrift shop around the corner. No one cares about designer brands, following the trends, or looking like everyone else. Is your sweatshirt down to your ankles? Cool fashion statement! Is your hair dyed purple? Awesome, it's a great color on you!

2. Do NOT worry about fitting in.

You pasted a smile onto your face for the first week of school until you grew sick of it. If your friends are going to love you, they should find out sooner rather than later that naps are crucial for your health...and everyone else's. Maybe you got caught up in a group of people you couldn't be yourself with. You realized quickly that there are thousands of students at your school, which means thousands of personalities. You find a group of friends that love you, even when you don't fit in your daily nap. Why pretend to be someone you aren't when there are people out there who will love you for you?

3. Cliques?

High school was full of inseparable groups that you couldn't get in or out of. Drama was too common, and you grew sick of it. College has groups, sure, but they're open and welcoming. You see an athlete hanging out at the frat house. You see a music major holding hands with a basketball player. If you want to join a different group of people for the night, do it! The more the merrier.

4. The "Cool" factor.

As soon as you saw that everyone's parents were donned head-to-toe in your school's colors on move-in day, you thought, "at least I'm not the only one with a nerdy dad/mom". In high school, you were afraid to be the one to wear the mascot costume. Joining clubs was nerdy. Now its you proudly wearing head-to-toe school gear out in public, maybe you even paint your entire face with your school colors. Instead of people staring, people say "Do you have any face paint left?" You stare at the school mascot wondering how that person got so lucky to be dancing in front of the entire school at a football game. Joining clubs looks great on your resume, so if you love books, nature, anime, etc; there's a club for that!

5. Embrace the weird.

You wouldn't dare step outside the box that you felt so enclosed into in high school. People may have given you strange looks, talked behind your back, or thought you were one of the "weird" kids. You were afraid to break out into song in the most inappropriate of places. Now that you're in college, singing in the middle of the cafeteria all too common. You feel 100% confident wearing slippers knitted by your aunt, because comfort is key, and everyone will be jealous. You're excited to bring your old Heelys back after fall break, because let’s be honest, they've always been the coolest.

6. There is no such thing as popularity.

Maybe you weren't the most popular kid in your high school class, and you worried that you would carry that burden into college. When you arrived, you realized that everyone wants to make friends. There are no rankings in college. There are no "popular" and "unpopular" kids. There are people who go out on Friday nights, and people who stay in. There are people who love sports, and people who don't know the difference between a touchdown and a homerun. All of this is accepted. No matter what you love, it doesn't determine your college popularity. College is too large and vast to have rankings.

“Be yourself” seems like the most cliché phrase someone can say, but it’s never more important than in the first semester in college. The best advice I heard when I came to my college orientation was: “Remember that mask you wore in high school? Well you can take it off.” I made a conscious effort to follow this advice, and I could not be happier with the results. Taking off the mask will land you with friends who appreciate you for who you are, and nothing less.