Semester one is almost done. I'm finally adjusted and have a solid friend group. I've heard from many people how easy they think it is to fail in college and I've heard from many other people how many people rise to their full potential in college. Many of my younger friends from high school have been asking me what they should expect.

The truth about college is that the experience you get out of it depends on what your priorities are going into it. It is easy to go to college and focus 100% on social life and going out. And it is also easy to lock yourself away from everyone else and only focus 100% on academics, sleep, or Netflix. Neither situation is healthy.

College is what you take out of it. Time management is key and so is finding friends with similar priorities as you.

My personal priorities consist of mostly academics (because I'm a veterinary major) and friends because in my opinion college would suck without people who can make me laugh. Most of my friends are science based majors and have similar priorities. That is how I am successful here.

College is what a student makes of it. There is no real way to perfectly balance everything here but there are ways of being successful when you know your priorities. If you want to sleep in don't take morning classes, if you want to go to parties every weekend without neglecting education do all your work during the week. If you're not planning to focus on academics at all pick an easy major (don't major in veterinary science if you're not going to work hard).

You know yourself better than anyone else. To know the truth about your college experience you need to know the truth about who you are first.