I cannot believe that it is almost the end of my freshmen year! It seems like yesterday I was walking through the campus quad, pondering the fastest way to get to my sociology lecture from my English 101 class. Throughout the year, I learned all of the organic families (hydrocarbons, yippee!), how to construct a proper paper, and how to do a t-test in statistics. But there are a handful of valuable lessons that I discovered, some the hard way, that can’t be found in the table of contents.

1. School always comes first.

Especially now that there’s a price tag on your education, you need to make sure that school is your number one priority. That being said, learn how to manage your time to your schedule. Make sure that you work hard, but have downtime to spend with your family and friends. You don’t have to get that 4.0, your mental health is much more important. You just need to do the best you absolutely can.

2. People suck.

For some God-awful reason, there are some people who come into your life to bring you down simply for their own benefit. Yeah, I don’t get it either. However, whatever they do to you, something is wrong with them, not you. Normal people don’t go around destroying other human beings.

3. Kindness kills.

In other words, be the bigger person. If someone is trying to hurt you, letting it get to you will only egg them on and make them feel good about themselves. If you try to ruin them, it makes you look like the bad guy. You would be surprised how some people can be intimidated by a genuinely nice person.

4. Boys are dumb.

It doesn’t matter that they’re in college or not, they are still dumb. Boys will break your heart and mess with your mind. However, there are some amazing, kind, and honest gentlemen out there. They will support you through your triumphs and losses and be there even when you’re not looking.

5. Don’t look for love, it will find its way to you.

Good things come to those who wait. “Good things take time, but really great things happen in a blink of an eye” (quoting my girl Hannah Montana). But hey, it’s true. If you go looking for love, odds are that you’ll be disappointed. Before you know it, you’ll end up with who you’re meant to be with.

6. Forgive, but don’t forget.

From what I’ve experienced, I feel the best way of moving on is to have closure, forgive, and move on. Being angry makes you exhausted and irritable. However, don’t forget that that person hurt you. Your relationship may never be the same.

7. You’re going to move on from high school, and that is perfectly okay.

Not everyone from your high school group of friends will be your friend through college. You may never talk to them again, and that’s not a bad thing. That means that they were not meant to be part of your life. You deserve the best and most honest friendships. Also, college changes everyone. You will be a different person than you were walking on that stage at your high school graduation. In order to change yourself, sometimes you have to let go of the things that brought you down.

8. Grow up.

You’re an adult whether you like it or not, and it is time to make adult decisions. You are the power of your own destiny and your reputation reflects on your decisions. But, we’re all human and we all make mistakes. Part of growing up is learning from the stupid decisions you made.

9. Get organized.

Your life will be so much easier if you organize your schoolwork. Now, I can’t always speak for how well my bedroom is cleaned, but I organize my notebooks and textbooks so I can easily follow with what I’m studying. Also, never write a paper the night before it’s due. Just don’t do that to yourself. Write an outline, talk to your professor, and really put the time and effort into it.

10. What you put into something is what you get out of it.

I am a firm believer in this philosophy. If you don’t put your hardest effort into something, then it will not turn out the way you want it to be. Be diligent and do your absolute best, every time, even if it does not work out the first or second time.

11. You don’t have to be plastered drunk to have fun.

I never had much interest in drinking when I got to college, or ever, for that matter. I didn’t really enjoy the idea of throwing up your dinner and being dehydrated for a night of fun. I don’t judge people for drinking, and if they ever need a ride home or someone to take care of them, I am always there. I’ll always be the one to look out for everyone.

12. Appreciate your parents, deeply.

Your parents want the absolute best for you, no matter how hard they are nagging you and telling you what to do. You’ll find out that in college you’ll need them more than ever because you need guidance and trust in someone you love. Parents always know what’s best.

13. Forget what you feel, and remember what you deserve.

This is much harder said than done. At the end of the day, you deserve the absolute best. Don’t ever let anyone persuade you to settle for anything less. You may want to be with the people that hurt you and then try to make things right, but you deserve much better than what they can offer you. You need the absolute best, 100 percent of the time.