It’s the summer before you start college. You’re relieved to be done with high school but you’re a little nervous to start your future. You’re asking yourself “will my teammates be nice?”, “will they like me?”, “will I be good enough?”, “how much free time will I have?”, “what will my class load be like?”, etc. There’re tons of questions that come with this chapter in life. It’s full of uncertainty and important decisions to be made. The important decision of “what will I major in?” being a huge one. You will be all on your own, taking on the next four years of your life. So as you sit here and ponder these questions, here’s what to expect from my experiences:

Your team will become your family. You will spend hours on end with these people, not only in the gym but also in everyday life. You will eat with them. You will have class with them. You will go to them for advice. You will look up to them. They will become your best friends. You will choose to spend all your free time with them, even though you spend 24/7 with them at practice. They will have your back no matter what. My team is where I have found four of my best friends that will be lifelong friends.

It won’t be easy. You will get stressed out. Balancing your time is extremely important. I know from experience that taking on 17 credit hours and nine plus hours in the gym, all while trying to have a social life is extremely difficult. Make sure you stay on top of your schoolwork after all, that’s the reason you’re there! Know your limits and come up with study habits to fit into your schedule. Find time for naps because those will become essential to life and functioning. Practices will be long and tiring and you will most likely have a few mental breakdowns once you get back to your room. Asking for advice from upperclassmen is a GOOD thing! They know what they are talking about and know how to keep yourself sane.

Most importantly, though, have fun. Remember to take the time to enjoy the experience because if you do it right, it will be the time of your life. After these four short years, you will close that chapter in your life. Of course, there’s always adult leagues to play in, but it won’t be the same. Take advantage of the time you have and always give 110 percent. But also don’t forget that sports don’t define you. Don’t let playing time or your performance in last week’s game keep you up at night. Enjoy college outside of sports too. Make friends from other classes or from your residence hall. Do crazy things, make lots of memories. Go play a pick-up game of sand volleyball at 1 am or go climb the fire escape to watch the sunset. You only get to experience college once, so make it count!