I was terrified of going to college. I was over 900 miles away from my parents and in a different state, I was sure I wasn’t smart enough to take college classes, and I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with my life. Despite how unsure I was of myself and my decisions, I managed to end my freshman year strong, confident that I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Go to class. As cliché and simple as it sounds, always go to class. Considering you’re paying to go to school and professors don’t really care if you show up, many don’t take attendance. However, going to class could make or break your grade. At the end of this semester I was sitting at an 89.4 in history. I was torn up because I was so close to an A and there was nothing I could do. Luckily, I went to class every day and my professor noticed that so he bumped my grade up. You may not realize it, but no matter the class size, your professor will see you.

Get involved and make your name known. My biggest regret about high school is that I never got involved in many extracurricular activities. After making that realization, I quickly tried to get involved as much as possible when I got to college. I am now the VP for an up-and-coming student organization, in a leadership position in the college ministry, and helping to create more organizations as we speak. Anything you do looks good on your resume, so make sure to build it up and take advantage of all the organizations on campus.

Make your planner your best friend. I am definitely one of those people who plans out everything I do. In college, I realized just how imperative having a planner is. Put everything on the syllabus in your planner right away so you don’t forget any important dates. Make sure to plan time each day to study because, although you could cram for a test the night before in high school, college is a different playing field and studying is more important than ever. Most importantly, don’t forget to make time for yourself!

Get to know the people in your hall. For a while, I didn’t even know who lived in my hall. Eventually, I realized that I needed to be social and mingle with my neighbors. Little did I know, these people were amazing. I found my best friends and they were close and convenient. You never know, Prince Charming may be just a couple doors away.

Call home. You will meet so many new people in college and start drifting away from home, but don’t stray too far. Your parents raised you and trust me, they are going to miss you. Make sure to go home at least a couple times a semester and, if you’re like me and can’t, call home as much as possible. Not only are they going to miss you, you will surely miss them.

It’s okay to change your mind. People will continue to tell you that you’re going to change your major and that it’s okay. Although I have never even though about changing my major, I have changed my minor three times. It’s okay to be unsure about what you want to study but make sure you don’t take a bunch of classes for nothing! Get your pre-requisites done first so that you don’t waste your time and money on classes that don’t even count toward your degree.

College is where you find yourself and begin your professional life. This is the time where you do things that matter and start to take a look into your future. Everything you do matters, so why not be the best you can be? Most important of all, stay true to who you are and never give up on your dreams.