It is okay to do things by yourself.
You don’t always need to have an entourage following you every second of every day. Sometimes people can drain the energy out of you, and you’ll find yourself more tired than ever. Go to that basketball game, go to that event on campus, you can have as much fun by yourself. Plus, it’s easier to do all the things you want to do because you aren’t trying to please other people.
College is not like the movies.
Movies tend to show college as this “party every night, no sleep, hookups every other day” time of your life. That can be intimidating to walk into at 17-18 years old. I’m here to say; it is nothing like that. Sure, there are the occasional parties and all-nighters here and there, but it is not as scary and intimidating as they make it be.
Not being in a sorority or fraternity DOES NOT make you lame.
I can’t tell you the number of times someone’s asked me if I was in a sorority and their face when I say “no” is. Some people are just not meant to be in a sorority, some people are. It all depends on what kind of person you are. Yes, sororities and fraternities have their pros and cons such as making friends easily but don’t let people view you as strange if you’re not in one, you can make just as many friends and memories as they do.
It is not as hard as your high school teachers made it be.
I don’t know about you, but my high school was significantly hard. The teachers kept saying things like “we’re preparing you for college”, but those teachers weren’t entirely accurate. College can be hard sometimes but the first two years (if you study regularly and go to class) are not going to be as hard as you imagine.
It’s okay to lose friends.
College is big, your friends you came to college with may not be the same friends you leave college with. You all go in with different majors, different colleges, different schedules, etc. and it can be hard to make time for each other. Don’t let yourself down if you lose those friends you had in high school. College is about making those lifelong friends and getting out of your comfort zone and new building relationships.
8 am’s are not fun.
Sometimes you have to take that Math 125 class at 8 am because it’s the only available one. Here is my tip for 8 am’s: either schedule them every day or not at all. You do not want 8 am’s every other day because it messes up your sleep schedule and overall makes you hate college at times. Also, show up to your 8 am class, attendance sometimes is graded, and that makes all the difference in the world.
Budget. Budget. Budget.
You do not want to be the person in your hall or apartment making ramen noodles every day or borrowing money from people. The easiest thing I’ve found to do is make a list of what you’re going to eat that week and allow yourself a set amount of money to spend that week. Remember, just because you have money, does not mean you need that new jacket that all the Instagram models are wearing.
The traditional college plan is not for everyone.
My pastor said this once, “The planned lifestyle of going to college, meeting the love of your life, graduate, get married, and have a family is not going to happen most likely.” I know your parents have probably told you that sequence before and I’m here to tell you, it’s not going to happen like that. You do not know God’s plan for your life, who knows you may graduate early, you may get married in college, you may start a family before you get a job. You do not know what’s going to happen so do not stress on “oh gosh I have to find the love of my life and get married all while working on my career.” Just put your faith in what God has planned for you and go with the flow of life.
College can be extremely fun, but also very stressful and busy. The best thing to do is not to let it get to you, just be yourself and go with the flow!