Starting junior year is one of the scariest years because I see that the last 2 years have gone by so quickly. The memories I made, just in the first month, of my freshman year have stayed with me for so long. To help maximize your freshman year, here are a few things that are necessary to make the next 4 years the best of your life.

1. Go to events on your campus. When you go to a dance or a show or a performance on campus, you get a feel for the different kind of people on your campus.

2. Find your niche of friends. Be friendly with everyone but find the people you can see spending time with for the next 4 years, the group you want to post on Instagram and bring home to your parents. It could be a team, your hall mates, or even an upper classmen. These are the people who stick with you even after you graduate.

3. Go out. Go out. Go out. You may have never gone out in high school but this is the time to, at least, try it. Make a code word with friends to get the creepy guy away from you friend. Make a fool of yourself on the dance floor. Have fun and be safe.

4. Have a go-to restaurant. Whether it is Chik-Fil-A or a hometown favorite, you can never go wrong with a dinner with food that you will never get sick of.

5. Get out outside your town. If it is going to visit your friend at a school close by or kind of far away, going on a hike at a mountain near by, or going home for the weekend, don't be scared of leaving school for the quick weekend. It's good to break up the time spent in the same place.

6. GO TO CLASS. You're at school for a specific reason and I am pretty sure that it's your major so roll out of bed and head to class, no matter what excuse you can come up for yourself in your head.

7. Enjoy the time you have this year. This year will be one of the quickest you have ever experienced. The friends you meet, the classes you take, the parties you attend will start to form your college experience. So make it one of the best by making it your own.

Such simple things could make this year and the next 4 some of the best of your life. Keep your mind set looking forward. Be confident in everything you do so you can let yourself grow and become a better college student for it.