Finals week is right around the corner, which means I’ve officially been at college for almost a whole semester. That’s over three months, wow. It may not seem like a long period of time, but by this point, you'll already have experienced a lot.

You'll have shared a room with someone (maybe for the first time). You'll have eaten enough cafeteria food to be sick of it. You'll have taken your first, of many, midterms. You'll have struggled to turn on the showers (because the handles turn the opposite way as yours at home). You’ll have forgotten the name of a person you just met (maybe more than once). You'll have learned that you'll become closer with people at school than you are with some people you've known your whole life. You'll have had a freak out about an assignment or test (and later learn there was no reason to panic). You'll have learned that not all dorm rooms’ AC works. You'll have gotten lost on campus, multiple times. You'll have learned independence is cool, but also scary. You'll have emailed your professor multiple times, yet still be confused about the assignment. You'll have learned that it is possible to shrink clothes. You'll have learned that dorm room walls aren't that thick. You’ll have experienced some sort of homesickness (yes everyone will). You'll have learned that Tide pods are annoying, and leave residue on at least one piece of clothing in each wash (usually your favorite). You’ll have become resourceful when it comes to things in your dorm. You'll have probably changed your major in your head about five times (and still have no idea what you want to do). You’ll have learned that command strips are a gift from the gods and can be used for almost anything. You’ll have learned that care packages are amazing. You’ll have spent too much and not enough time at the library. You’ll have gotten overly excited when you meet someone from your hometown. You’ll have tripped up or down a set of stairs at least once. You’ll have done something really embarrassing. You’ll have locked yourself out of your room. You’ll have misplaced your student ID once or twice. You’ll have had to take the stairs to your room because the elevator is broken, again.You’ll have thought you figured out this whole college thing, and then some upperclassman will remind you that you still have a long way to go.

But that’s ok. Remember you're still a freshman. Remember that it's ok to mess up. It's ok to ask for help. It's ok not to know. It's ok because it's only been a few months. So, make all the mistakes you want. Be that typical freshman that walks around taking photo after photo of the campus, or calls things by their real names (because you haven’t learned the slang students actually call them), or shows up ten minutes early to class even though no one else does. This is only the beginning.