There are many great things about college. I could list them, but I won’t. There are also many not so great things about college. One of those things is money. For some that really isn’t a big deal, but for others, like myself, that isn’t an easy topic. This article isn’t about how to budget, or what things you can do for free or even how to get things for free. Those are great things. I mean, who doesn’t love free things?

Growing up, my family didn’t have much. When I say we didn’t have much, it means I was given free lunch because of the free and reduced lunch program at public schools. I got one pair of shoes and they had to last me at least one year if I was lucky, most of the time they had to last two years. When I got a “new” pair of pants they had to last me at least three or four years before I could get anymore. To us, new pants meant that we had to buy them at thrift stores, which meant they really weren’t new, but they were new to me. My family didn’t celebrate Christmas because we didn’t have the money. We have also been homeless so many times that I have lost count.

When I was a senior in high school, I did what most students my age did when they wanted to go to a college, I looked at them. 90 percent of the colleges I wanted to go to or even just looked at required students to pay a $25 processing fee. I couldn’t pay that because that could feed my family for a night or two.

One of the reasons that I applied to OBU (Oklahoma Baptist University) even though I thought I wouldn’t be accepted, was because they didn’t require students to pay a processing fee. I was astounded that I got accepted to OBU. I had the ACT score to get in, I just didn’t have the money. One of the first things I did after I was accepted was find a Job. Most women in my position had to worry about how to decorate their dorm or who they would room with if they didn’t know the person who they were placed with. Those things seemed so small to me in my mind.

Going into my last year of college, I want to share the things I have learned with people who might be in the same position I am in. So here it is:

Find a great group of friends.

The friends you make in college will be with you the rest of your life. They will influence who you will become more than you will realize right now. The great thing about college is that there are so many different people from different backgrounds. You want to surround yourself with people from all over the place. You will also need to let them know where you come from and what you are dealing with, otherwise they will assume that you have a similar background and needs, and that might not be true. They also need to be given the choice to be your friend. If they don’t think they can handle or help support you emotionally, then it might be best to not be close friends. You can still be nice and hang out with them.

Find a job you love.

You need to find a job or two that you absolutely love. May it be the people you work with/ work for, or the people you get work with. Because you might be working a lot, it needs to be something you love to do. My first Job at OBU was selling tickets for the games on campus. I really didn’t like the job, but I did it for two years. I really wanted to Work for ResLife and be an RA. I am doing that now, and I absolutely love it. If you are like me, you might need a second job. I also work at Chick-Fil-A. I may not enjoy the job I do there. I box nuggets. I love working with the people. Finding job(s) you love will make things easier.

Take a day for yourself.

You need to take a day for yourself where you go shopping, reading or anything that makes you happy relaxed. I am an art student, and so coloring relaxes me. Personal health is an important thing, which you should take seriously. If not, there will be a day where you will break and that won’t be a good thing. So take a day, treat yourself, take a nap, watch a movie, do one of those free things you have read about.

Schedule time to do school work.

Set aside time to do school work before it’s the night before it’s due. If you are like me, you say you will do that in hour, which quickly turns into the night before it’s due. So setting time of the day to do school work is great.

Be spontaneous.

If your life has no spontaneity then it can become very boring, very quickly. Take that random road trip with your friends to the nearest mall, may it be 20 minutes away, or an hour. Those are the moments that can share with your children when you are older. Those are the moments that make college the greatest time of your life!

Don’t let life bog you down.

Don’t let life determine what stresses you out. If you do get overwhelmed, then take a step back, take a breath and get right back at it. You can do anything you set your mind to. Don’t let the world stop you.