1. The syllabus is your friend.

The syllabus is given to you for a reason – most, if not all of the time, it contains every date that is even remotely relevant to a class. If it is digital, keep it bookmarked to your browser so you have it whenever you open your laptop. If it is a paper copy and not available electronically or otherwise, hold onto it for dear life and pray you don’t lose it. Sometimes teachers won't remind you of an upcoming assignment solely because checking the syllabus is your responsibility! It is always a good idea to check each of your class syllabi weekly and write down any upcoming assignments to stay on top of things.

2. Quite a few people have never learned how to do their own laundry.

I figured maybe it was going to be just a few people who had no idea how to properly do their own laundry, and if they didn't know before they came to college that they went to Laundry 101, but I was wrong. It’s just a tiny bit of a shock for me every time I open the detergent drawer of a washing machine to find a half-exploded laundry pod sitting where my detergent goes.

3. You can spot the nice and the not-so-nice people right away.

Keeping along the lines of laundry, there’s a very fine line between people who patiently wait for a washing machine to become available and people who take someone else’s laundry out of a washing machine because “it’s been in there too long”.

4. Just because you’re in college does not mean you have to leave your high school friends behind.

I have a lot of friends who are a year younger than me and thus, currently in their senior year of high school. Leaving for college was very tough for me because I had so many friends that I would no longer be able to see every day, however, it’s been easy to keep in touch and thankfully, everyone I want to talk to still wants to talk to me. Do not forget about other friends, such as those who graduated with you. You may not talk every day but it is nice to text and catch up once and a while - you never know what's going on with them until you ask!

5. It is okay to go home as much as you need to.

I went home almost every weekend throughout my first semester because I was able to hitch a ride with my roommate. While some would view this as a bit much, I think it was useful to my adjustment into college life because I was still able to come home and enjoy being with my family and friends for a day or two before going back to focus on academics. I made sure not go home every single weekend, because eventually I’m going to have to learn to stay at school for at least a few weeks at a time, but for my first semester, I didn’t think I really needed that giant push away from home just yet.

6. Your major does not define your career path.

Not that I really thought this beforehand, but this semester solidified my thoughts about this subject. Because I was undeclared for my first semester, I was required to take a University course that covered exploring different career paths and majors. This class was actually incredibly helpful in making me realize that there is no straightforward path with any singular major – you can do a lot of things with any major you decide to declare. I feel like a lot of people think there is one singular route to getting a job in a certain career field, but a lot of times this isn’t true.

7. Wear layers!

This one may depend on where you’re attending college, however, in West Haven, it gets quite cold and windy as the fall semester progresses. The heat in our academic buildings varies – you may die of heat stroke or hypothermia depending on where your classes are located. The solution to this is wearing as many layers of clothing necessary so that you’re prepared for essentially any weather situation. This has saved me from both the aforementioned overheating and freezing.

8. Calling your parents is the most refreshing thing in the world.

This can really be said about any conversation you have with anyone from your hometown who you haven’t talked to in a while, but I’d like to focus this one strictly on parents because they are your providers. They always want to know how you’re doing and if you need anything, and they’re willing to listen to you complain about your problems. If you talk to them long enough they might send you extra money to pay for laundry!

9. One bad grade does not signify the end of the world.

Another minor point as to why the syllabus is your friend; on the syllabus, there is usually a breakdown of the weight each assignment or test carries. You most times have a lot of wiggle room in terms of how heavily weighted tests or assignments are, so in one way or another, you may be able to bounce back from a grade. If you are in one of those classes where there are only two tests and that’s the only thing that's graded for the whole semester, talk to your professor about extra credit! There are always ways to improve your grade.

10. It is prime time to become your best self.

You thought you were in your peak as a senior in high school? Think again. In college, you have an incredible fresh start that allows you to become who you want to be. You have so many opportunities to explore the world around you, meet incredible new people, and see things in new and exciting ways. There are no limits to who you can be and what you can do in college – make the most of it, and become who you want to be during your time in school. It goes by a lot faster than you think!