1. It’s hard. Classes are hard, making friends is hard, missing your parents is hard, figuring out campus and the dining hall is hard. You get used to it after a little bit though. You won’t be lost forever.
2. Game Day is the best day of any day of any week throughout the history of time forever. Get season tickets, be active in game days, tailgate, enjoy it. No one is too cool for school spirit.
3. Not everyone is best friends with their roommate. I got lucky, yes. But I heard some horror stories. Not everyone gets along with everyone but that’s the real world and sometimes you have to deal with people you don’t love.
4. Make friends with people OTHER than your roommate and your high school friends. Yes it is okay if these people are your best friends forever and ever or whatever, but meet people that you know nothing about and who know nothing about you. I met my best friends in a class we had together and they are the most amazing people. Through them I have met a lot of other friends that I will be close with for a long time.
5. Invest in a good ass parka and some comfortable yet stylish snow boots. This is for all you kiddos staying in the midwest. You don’t know winter until you don’t have a car and you have to walk 15 minutes through the blistering wind and snow. And if you get a black northface parka, write your name on the tag or something because everyone and their sorority sister has the exact same coat and you WILL lose it.
6. Do not buy out the book store. for anything. The first few weeks of school you will want to buy literally every shirt you see because omg college huge deal wanna be cute and fit in. Guarantee you will not wear as much as you think. And for your actual textbooks, any other purchasing option is cheaper than buying your books at the book store.
7. Make a friend who has an older sibling who is over 21. Self explanatory. Sorry mom.
8. Welcome week- you will meet a million people and exchange numbers and think these are your besties for the rest of the year. You will awkwardly see them around campus all year and not exchange a word.
9. Mess up. Do at least one really stupid thing so that you can learn from your mistakes (and for the story). But if you are going to Madison, don’t let your stupid thing be breaking into Camp Randall at 1:30 AM. Just trust me on this one.
10. Go to class. I am such a hypocrite for saying this. It’s honestly so so easy to skip lecture. There’s 300 people in your class, no one will notice you not there and sleeping for an extra hour and a half sounds just so nice. I promise you there will be information from that lecture on your midterm in three weeks.
11. Don’t be stupid with your money.
12. Some of the best nights are just sitting around with your friends. One of my favorite memories from this year is a ton of my friends and I cramming into a little dorm room playing cards against humanities. Going out is so fun, but it isn’t the only way to have fun.
13. Take classes that sound interesting.
14. Call your Grandma, she will love it
15. Be yourself. This is a time to leave your past in the past and be the you that you want to be. The ones who love you for that reason are the ones that will stick around forever.
