Ah yes, Freshman year.

Everyone’s first year of college is a great learning experience. You learn how to find your way through campus, you realize that you have to solve your own issues yourself instead of asking your parents to do it, you figure out what you’re interested in, you’re told that you’re officially an adult (which is pretty scary) and it’s the start of the infamous college experience.

That being said, it’s also your first year in a new place and it’s probably your first time living on your own away from your family and friends. But, fear not! for those are completely normal concerns and you’re likely going to be fine. Nonetheless, I’m here to give you some tips that I wish I had known during my first year of college.

1. College students are not perfectly responsible adults.

Yes, you’re probably going to be told that you’re an adult and you’re probably going to think that you’re not ready yet. Trust me when I say that everyone is feeling that way and that feeling will not go away during your first year. You are not expected to become a contributing member to society and you are not going to become a fully functional adult as soon as your year begins. In fact, I like to think of college students as humans floating through life trying to find food.

2. Studying in groups is so much better than studying alone.

The night before my first midterm, I had a complete meltdown, I called my mom crying and I told her that I was dumb and I was going to fail horribly. My mom just told me that I should calm down and that everything was going to be okay; this obviously didn’t help at all. A couple of hours later, I met up with two girls that were in my class to study together. This was the best thing that I could have done, they both had had complete meltdowns and thought they were going to fail; so, of course, we bonded. We ended up passing the midterms with good grades and they became two of my closest friends.

3. No one cares about what you’re doing or what you look like.

College is the perfect place to take a nap on the grass, wear whatever you want, scream, walk like a chicken to class, not go out for days and sleep all day. Absolutely no one cares about what’s going on with you (as long as you’re alive).

4. It’s okay if you don’t want to go to parties.

As I said before, no one cares about what you’re doing, if you feel like you have to go parties because you’re on college, just know that you don’t have to. However, I do recommend that you do it at least once, that way you can say that you went to a college party. But if you don’t want to, no one is expecting you to.

5. There’s absolutely no shame in using coupons.

Maybe not everyone has a problem with this; but, I’ve met people that are embarrassed to use coupons. As I said before, no one cares about what you’re doing and we’re all broke. Just suck it up and use that McDonald’s coupon for that free burger.

6. It’s okay to not know what you want to do.

It’s totally fine if you’re not sure about what you want to do with your life. Undeclared majors are the most common and even if you already have a major, yet you’re not 100% sure about it, you can change it how many times you want (in fact, students are expected to change their majors).

7. Say no to 8 am classes.

You’re probably thinking that it’s not that bad and that you can handle it, right? Well no, you’re wrong. Unless the class is incredibly interesting and it’s not available any other times, then sure, take it. But other than that, forget it. You are going to regret it, you don’t want to wake up that early, you’re going to be tired during the class and just no. Don’t do it.

8. Be open-minded.

I guarantee that you’re going to meet people that are different from what you’re used to, you’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to be exposed to opinions that differ from your own or that you had never considered and you’re going to change both physically and mentally. Embrace it.

9. It’s okay not to get an A.

Maybe in high school you were used to getting straight A’s. That’s probably not going to happen in college and that’s okay. Getting a B or a C is not going to ruin your future and your career is not going to die because you don’t have a 4.0 GPA. Remember, C’s get degrees.

10. This is the perfect time to meet new people.

You can meet people in college anywhere. Lecture halls, classrooms, bathrooms, coffee shops, library, no place is out of the question. I met one of my closest friends by interrupting her conversation while we were in line and then bonded over memes and Twitter. You can meet anyone anywhere.

11. Take advantage of office hours.

You’re going to be told to do this about a million times and you should do it. You can get to know your professors and get extra feedback on assignments. My favorite professor helped me for in class assignments and they literally gave me a book that I needed for a research project that wasn’t even for their class. They’re the best professor I’ve ever had and I’m still in contact with them.

12. Be yourself.

I know that you were trying to fit in in high school and were afraid of being too different or too weird. Well, in college, just forget about that. This is the perfect time to experiment mentally and physically. You want to chop all your hair off? Go for it (I did it and I love it). Want to tell everyone about your love for bands? Do it, someone will agree with you. Want to run around telling everyone about how you think that tuition is ridiculous? Please do.

Embrace who you are because people are excited to meet you.