First-years! You’ve officially been a college student for two weeks, congrats! Transitioning from high school to college is a big step. Talking from experience, in just two years here, I’ve grown so much as a person and have learned more about myself than I thought was possible. Learning how to live on your own and managing school, work, friends, and everything in between is hard work. It’s not as easy as it looks. From ruining a load of clothes when doing laundry to locking myself out of my dorm room, there are a few things I wish I would have known as a freshman.

1. Join a Club: Pick something you enjoy and take a friend. You’ll meet others with the same interests you have.
2. The third brownie is always less tasty than the first: Freshman 15 is a real thing. Make sure to establish limits when it comes to unlimited food in Haist Commons.
3. Get to Know Your Professors: Just do it. They’re here to help you. Trust me, it will be worth it.
4. You don’t need three different shades of the same scarf: Less is more when it comes to packing. Scale back on your clothing, it won’t matter by the time midterms come around. You’ll be bumming it every day anyway.
5. Ask for Help: Seriously. Everyone on this campus is willing to help you out… with anything. Whether it is your professor, an upperclassman, your RA, or SOL, they want to help you succeed. It’s better to ask for help now than to waste time on something because you were too scared to ask.
6. Social Media: This is a small campus. Faculty can and WILL see your posts. Don’t do anything stupid on social media that you wouldn’t want to show your grandma!
7. Wildcard Class: Take a class you never thought you would enjoy. I took a communications class and I loved it. You never know, it could lead to a minor of some sort in the end!
8. Own it: You’re considered adults now. You make a mistake; you take the blame. Own up, learn, and move on.
9. Don’t be Scared to Fail: There will be days you feel like you just ran into a brick wall and then were hit by a truck. It’s college. You’re going to fail at something. It’s inevitable. Don’t get too worked up about it. Just ask yourself, “Will this matter in 50 years?”, if not, move on, and learn from it.
10. Breathe: I know. It’s overwhelming, but these are the best four years of your life, so enjoy every bit of it. 

Katie Byers '18 is a biology-chemistry major & business minor. A member of the women's basketball team, she plans to study abroad in New Zealand in February 2017, and her dream job is to work at an orthopedic hospital.