PeaceLuvFreshmanYear

Looking back at my freshman year of college there are a lot of things I wish I had known. Transitioning from high school to college is a BIG step. I started preparing for college 6 months in advance. I read about every article about how fun college was going to be and what I needed to have the best experience ever. I wish I had read an article with a list of things someone wish they knew before they left to embark on a new journey. This is why I am going to write a list of a few things I wish I had known before beginning freshman year.

1.  The majority of college students change their major more than 3 times before they graduate.
Don't worry about what you are going to do for the rest of your life. You are only 18 you have time to decide. Start by taking general education classes and see which ones you are interested in and which ones you aren't. You can start thinking more seriously about it once your general education courses are out of the way.

2. Sadly the Freshman 15 is a real problem that most girl's experience.
I know from personal experience that college caused my weight to fluctuate on a daily basis. Between the lack of sleep, late night snacking, unhealthy dorm food, partying, and not making time to exercise packing on the pounds will happen.

3.You don't have to be best friends with your roommate(s).
I had three roommates. Yes, four teenage girls living in one room. The chances that their is going to be no clashing between four different unique personalities is slim to none. Make sure to make clear cut rules at the beginning of the year so you know what your roommate(s) expect of you and so they know what you expect of them. These rules should include things like having friends visit, having guys over, cleanliness, sharing items, bed times, pet peeves, and expectations in general.

4.You do not need to buy all of your textbooks before the first day of class.
I have found out the hard way that some classes say you have to buy a book but the teacher will tell you that it is optional. I like to wait until the first week of class to see if the teacher assigns anything from the book or clearly states you will need it in the future.

5. Missing class sets you back more than you expect
Take it from someone who ended up having to leave school because I was failing to many classes. The reason I was failing wasn't because I was unintelligent it was because I was a night owl and would stay up until 6 or 7 in the morning and then when I would finally fall asleep I would sleep through my alarms and miss my classes. You might tell yourself, "Well, it's just ONE class," the truth of the matter is college isn't like high school you don't have as close of a relationship, if any, with them and when you tell them you weren't at the last class they usually will tell you to find someone with the notes and thats the end of that. Don't skip class it will strongly affect you in the scheme of things.