When you are a high school student, you don’t have much to worry about. You don’t have to worry about living alone, college debt or taking care of your own body. You also are with your family almost all the time. Your family accepts you for who you are, and you don't really need to mold yourself to be something you're not when living at home.

In college, everything changes. Your entire lifestyle changes and you have to start making many life decisions by yourself. As a first-year student, I struggled to share space with my roommate, and keeping my side neat and organized was tough.

At orientation, it was extremely helpful to find people who had common interests as I did. Making connections with people at orientation is a great way to meet friends, and to this day I still have friends that I met at orientation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or put yourself out there, because you never know who you'll meet or what you'll find.

I also struggled with making friends. Before moving away to college, I was nervous about how to fit in and be accepted by people around me. But I learned that you don’t have to change who you are to make friends or fit in. Friends who accept you for you are the kinds of friends you want to have in college. This semester I am taking classes at Rutgers-Newark, and I now look forward to the experience of going to college closer to home.

Even if you don't think you'll find something that fits your style, there's definitely something for everyone. Whether it's a sporting event or a retreat, there's really something for everyone at school.

Looking at what your school offers will help you to make a wise and educated decision on what you might want to pursue throughout your four years in college. They'll go by pretty fast, so making the most of them and surrounding yourself with people that truly matter is important.

No matter who you are or where you'll end up, as hard as the college transition usually is, having people by your side that help you make the most of it is beyond rewarding. College is supposed to be the best four years of your life, so establishing those lifelong friendships and maintaining them through that time is part of what college is all about. As I was involved a lot in service activities at my former college, I am looking forward to finding out how service is a part of Rutgers. I am also excited to be involved in the radio and TV Station, in addition to meeting new people in all of these activities.

I also look forward to the being in small classes where teachers can give me guidance and teach the class better than in a big class. At Rutgers the surrounding area will be different but it will be close to New York City. I am curious to experience a different night life. College is a time to discover who you are as a person and to grow and use your strengths to become a better adult and individual. College is also a time to meet people you have similarities with and you make best friends in college as well – I hope I make best friends at RU Newark!