1. Your roommate will be your best friend

My roommate, in all honesty, terrified me and at the very beginning of the year, she violated my privacy by cleaning up all my stuff and going through my drawers with her friend. I even picked her out myself. I met her on my college's Facebook group and we talked for several months getting to know each other and preparing for move-in day. My freshmen year, I learned that you can never truly know someone until you're living with them. It was a complete disaster and at some point, I no longer felt safe in my room.

In comparison, I had friends who had gotten a random roommate and it worked out great for them. You honestly won't know until you get there. Go in with an open mind but don't be afraid to follow your gut and get out of your roommate situation if you feel you need to. My biggest regret is not moving out at the beginning and letting it mess with me almost all year long.

2. Your friends from your first semester will be your friends second semester, or third, or fourth, and so on

The chances of you staying friends with everyone you befriend your first semester are slim. Don't get me wrong, I know some people stayed friends with the people they hung out with their first semester but this isn't the case for everyone. For me and several other people I know, the people I met and befriended my first semester are not still close friends with me as I prepare to begin my third semester in college. I have a handful of friends from my second semester I still talk to but for the most part, the people I met didn't stay in touch.

3. College is as simple as a four-year college degree

Did you know that a third of college kids change their major at least once? And when you change your major, your class requirements often change as well. With new classes you have to take and old ones that don't count, it's not difficult to find yourself looking at something more like five years to get your bachelor's instead of the stereotypical four. College is not a set four-year journey and you shouldn't let this myth prevent you from realizing the passion you want to pursue isn't what you started out studying.

Part of earning the degree is making sure it's the field you want to spend your life working in. If it's not, there's no shame in changing even if it means some extra time to get that degree. I had a lifelong idea I'd do something in writing and enrolled as a journalism major. A semester in and I was trying to convince myself it was what I still wanted. With the encouragement of those close to me, I changed my major to social work - something I hadn't even considered before. This required me to change colleges within my university and completely changed my class requirements. It's easier to change majors within the same college, but just because it's harder doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue your dreams. I might have another year added on to my educational pursuits but I wouldn't take it back for anything.

4. The school you choose is your dream school that you’ll graduate from

Life doesn't always work out like you think it will. I know that's a line people say all the time but sometimes we just don't realize it. There's a student I know who has transferred three times. If it's not the school for you don't stay there because you feel obligated or just because you've already started. If you don't like the place or if it isn't fitting your needs then go and find the place that does even if it takes a few tries.

5. You’re out on your own, it’s time to do whatever you want when you want!

Trust me, that thirsty Thursday party won't be so appealing when you fail a class because you slept through it Friday. Professors aren't always the most forgiving about absences, unlike what you may be used to. And you never know when you'll miss vital information that'll help you on future exams.

6. You’re finally done having to take classes that have nothing to do with what you want to spend your life doing!

Yeah... that's a no. A big no. Welcome to the world of education, where you'll always be forced to take at least one useless class, even when you're in college.

7. It’s cheaper to live on campus than off

This really depends on your school and the area you live in but it's not always true. I was able to get out of my school's two-year residency requirement and I'll be saving over $6,000 a year living off campus compared to if I lived on. That number was calculated by taking into account rent, utilities, and meals for both options.

8. Finding time will be easy

You better hope you've mastered time management if you think you're going to have time for it all in college. Often you'll be stuck between going to the game or studying for that test. Don't be surprised when you find yourself having to make choices about attending events you really wanted to go to, hanging out with friends, or working for that reason you're in college.

9. A doctor's note cures everything

As much as I wish it did, I have to retake a class because I was sick a lot one semester and couldn't afford to go to the doctors all the time. There was one time I lost points for a group presentation because the day of I lost my voice and was unable to present my part since I wasn't intelligible. When I did get a note, some of my classes only allowed so many passes before they started deducting points. Now, most professors will work with you if you're having legitimate health issues, but not all of mine did, unfortunately. I put my health first and I have no regrets even though I'll have to retake the class before I graduate.

10. Group projects can be fun and are less work!

Now, this isn't necessarily untrue but every group project I had during my first year was randomly assigned. This led to the problem of finding a time when everyone was able to meet and get stuff done. Spoiler alert: it's basically impossible. I cannot think of one group meeting I went to where everyone was in attendance. Between classes, work, volunteering, and other time commitments, finding a time for everyone to meet up and get on the same page is nearly impossible. Some groups get lucky and easily find a common time. If that's the case, you still have to worry whether anyone is going to slack off. Two-thirds of my group projects involved a last-minute frantic scramble to be ready because someone didn't come through with their part. Your grade is in the hands of these strangers and while it's a great real-life learning experience, it still sucks.

11. You’ll be able to schedule all the classes you need when you want to

There are some classes that you just won't be able to get when you and your advisor had talked about you taking it. Between conflicts with other classes and the class becoming full before it's your turn to enroll, you're going to have to be prepared to change up your plan. I always have one to three backup classes prepared - that way, if one of mine is full before I get my chance, I don't have to scramble to come up with a plan B, because, I've already got it all figured out. Don't stress about it. Either put yourself on the waitlist or just move on and plan to take it a different semester. Everything will work out.

12. Between your major and general education requirements you’ll have all the classes you need to graduate

Not all majors require enough credit hours to get you to the minimum to graduate. This allows you the opportunity to explore your interests, pursue a minor, or to take random courses you think will enhance your learning experience or perhaps even your future career.

13. I’m finally in college and can be done with all those hundreds of scholarship applications!

Yeah, no. Unless you're one of the lucky ones, some of your scholarships may go away after the first year. Every year it's important for you to continue applying for scholarships. Basically, you're stuck filling out all those applications until you graduate. I applied to only 20 this year, but was ecstatic to find out I got one! If I had taken more time, I'm sure I could've gotten enough to not need any of my loans. Also, keep in mind a lot of scholarships have qualification rules that you must continue to meet throughout the entirety of your college education.

Personally, I really like the app Scholly. It has always been worth the money for me. One of the best places to apply is through your school. They have a lot of opportunities for you to gain more financial funding for your educational pursuits.

14. Campus food sucks

Once again, this depends on your campus and the day. After the first month, you tend to figure out where the best food is and when. My friend's school had an Italian soda station every day! I wish my school had one of those. The reason campus food doesn't have the best rep is that it can get tiring eating similar dishes all year round AND if you're craving something it's not a guarantee you'll be able to find it at one of the campus options.

15. You’re going to lose contact with your high school friends

There are honestly very few people I know who have entered college and lost contact with those they were close to in high school. I still talk to a lot of my old friends, sometimes on a daily basis. I even moved 2,000 miles away from them all. If you do lose contact with some that's alright. You'll meet a lot of new people in college. Don't hold back from making that effort to stay in contact with your high school friends if it's important to you. I always believe that if they're true friends then even if you all don't talk for a while when you do it'll be like old times.

16. It’ll be easy to find a group you want to join on campus

To be honest, I struggled. I tried a couple groups for my major but then switched mine partially because through those experience I realized it wasn't for me. Other groups I was interested in joining I struggled to because of timing conflicts. There are so many options so it's important not to give up, but don't be worried if you don't find your place right away. Not everyone does.

17. You have to have it all figured out by the time you enter college

Trust me, most don't have it all figured out and if they think they do, their plan usually ends up changing before they've graduated. Your plan might even change after you graduate and it's important to remember that that's okay. It's not the end-all, it's just where your journey has led you. A lot of colleges now even offer programs meant for students entering college unsure of what degree they're interested in. Go in open-minded because you never know where life will lead you.