If you're entering your first year of college, chances are you've heard quite a few things. You may have heard that professors are insanely strict and unwilling to help out students. You may have heard to not to wear your school's lanyard around your neck. You may have heard secrets about getting the cheapest textbooks. However, that is just scratching the surface of what you will face during your freshman year.

First off, classes are not impossible. Professors are not demons; they do not make it as hard as possible on purpose. It is possible to make A's. The saying "C's get degrees" may be true, but it does not mean that getting better grades shouldn't be your goal. What you put in is what you get out.

If you prepare for exams, pay attention to lectures, ask help when you need it, then it is very possible to thrive in your college classes. I remember believing that it would take a miracle to succeed in my classes. I thought that everyone made C's in college because the difficulty level was that high. Yes, classes can be very difficult. But no, college classes are not impossible.

You might feel lonely in college. Of course, you'll make friends and have a new place to explore. But it is an adjustment to get used to. Moving away from home sounds great but it can cause you to feel a little lost and lonely. Don't expect to live away from home to be 100% exciting and adventurous. It definitely is, but it's also a new chapter to get used to. It's okay to miss home. It's okay to video chat your parents. Enjoy every moment you can but realize that it may not be what you expect, and that's okay too.

Time in college flies by. Before you know it, you'll be entering sophomore year. High school years feel a lot longer compared to college. After graduating from high school, you realize that those four years do not last forever. Those four years are only four years. So soak up every moment of freshman year because you won't get them back.

College is so much more than the number of credit hours you'll take and which dorm you'll live in. It's a new chapter. It's a new lifestyle. Enter your freshman year with a positive attitude. Enter it with room for new lessons, new friends, and new possibilities.