Lately, I’ve been scrolling through social media to see all of you who were a year younger than me. Last year, you were preparing for your senior year of high school and I was preparing for my freshman year in college. You were preparing for a day that you already experienced three times before; walking through those familiar high school doors, and I was preparing for the newest chapter in my life. I was preparing for a completely new experience; a new home, a new atmosphere, new professors and new peers.

Now here we are, a year later and the roles have been reversed. I am now preparing for the familiar; you are preparing for the uncharted territory. It’s a big deal. It’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna be new. It’s gonna take some getting used too; but here is everything I can tell you.

First of all, I know that some of you are stressing out because you’re worried that you won't see your best friend since third grade ever again. I can promise you that as long as you both want to continue your friendship, it’ll happen. Now, don’t expect to talk to them every single day. Don’t expect to FaceTime them every single night. It may take some time away from each other to make y’all really appreciate each other, but I promise that once you do, the talking and FaceTime will be a real thing. But first, you both have to get into the swing of things in your new, adjusted lives.

I know some of you are stressing out about losing touch with your ride or die from your high school years, but again, as long as you both want the friendship to last, it will. Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, you and your best friend realize that you guys have the type of friendship where you don’t need to be in constant contact with each other. If you’re lucky enough, you and your best friend can go days, even weeks without talking but once you finally do, it’s like you two never missed a beat.

So, maybe some of you are more like I was around this time last year; you can’t wait to get away from these people who you deemed so terrible in high school. Well, I’ve got good news for you guys, too! No matter how far away or how close you decide to go to college, if you don’t want to see someone, you don’t have to; not even in a small town like this. Of course, I can’t promise that you won’t run into them at the local grocery store on holiday breaks, but you can always manage to avoid them by steering your buggy towards a different aisle.

Certainly some of you are worried about the random roommate assignment. Do not stress. Stressing will only cause you to overthink and beat a dead horse with your worries. I had an interesting experience. The day I moved onto campus, my roommate and I realized we were the perfect match; we watched the same TV shows, had the same majors and schedules and even had the same shoe size. We spent a crazy amount of time together and became really, really close. So close that we eventually got sick of each other.

After a few fights and some silent treatment, we made a mutual decision that we shouldn’t schedule the same classes for the next semester and we should start to hang out with different friend groups. In the end, although we decided not to room with each other next year, I still consider her a close friend, and I know I can text her if I ever need her. My advice when it comes to your roommate situation is even if you chose the person you’re sharing a tiny room with, make new friends and limit your time with them; this can help alleviate you two getting sick of each other in the long run.

In the meantime, and I cannot stress this enough, do not take the 8:30 a.m. classes. If you can avoid it, at all costs, avoid the early classes. It may seem like a good idea to get your classes over with in the morning, but I promise you that at one point or another, you’re going to regret it. College is an entirely different world than high school. Your parents aren’t keeping track of you and your bedtime (even though they probably didn’t do so in high school either). You are totally on your own. Netflix gets the best of you. If one of your pod mates or friends has a birthday, damn it, you’re celebrating that birthday night at 12:00 a.m. sharp. Why wait for the weekend? If your roommate has a cold or is fighting with her boyfriend and is up all night crying or coughing up a lung, chances are you’re right there with her, tossing and turning until 4 a.m.

Unquestionably, stay on good terms with your professors, advisors, lunch ladies… Hell, stay on good terms with any and every adult on that campus. Including your RHDs, RAs and prefects (if you have them). You never know when you can really use any of them as resources. Brown nosing isn’t a thing in college anymore; you’re just playing it safe and smart. You never know what having them as connections might get you some day. I assure you, it can't hurt.

Finally, if you’re worried about making a relationship work while in college, don’t. If you have a solid relationship, then it will work itself out. You two may need some time away from each other to realize that you want to make it work, or maybe you need time away from each other to realize that you don’t want to make it work. Either way, it’ll all be OK. It’s not going to be easy, and there will be some ugly fights, but go with your gut and do whatever makes you happy.

Until then, college is a time to meet new people, experience new things, and find yourself. Be smart of course, and don’t drink yourself into a coma. Take your alcohol in moderation, especially if you’ve never had a sip before you got here. Live it up these next four years, because I promise you, they will be the best and the worst (finals week, of course) of your entire life. I can assure you that I’ve never had as much fun and been blessed with such amazing people as I have in the last year.

Best of Luck!

Much Love,

Official Sophomore in College