College Advice

I think it's funny being a blogger when you're asked to give advice about something you really have no hold on. One of the most asked questions I've gotten recently when using the new question feature on Instagram (which I think is so fun) asks something along the lines of "what advice would you give to college freshman?" If you can't tell, I didn't exactly have an ideal freshman year given that I transferred, and to this day I still don't know what my major is, my friend group is entirely girls I know from high school, and did I mention I have no idea what I'm doing?

I think my high school English teachers would be rolling their eyes right now at how I blatantly didn't try to achieve parallel sentence structure right there. Moving on...

I've though about what I wanted to say to answer this question to provide a bit of insight and advice without pretending like I killed it at college right off the bat. I firmly believe mistakes are important and crucial for success, and we all know my college experience has been full of many, many mistakes. If you want actual concrete college advice, I would recommend Googling that and not looking to me for answers. Like I said, I don't know what I'm doing either. ;)

So, here's what I have to say:

College is absolutely not going to be (in the first semester) the "college experience" you might be chalking it up to be. Every single one of my friends will agree with me when I say this... the perfect experience of showing up and instantly meeting lifelong friends, breezing through classes, and having the time of your life at parties isn't something you walk into or just automatically achieve because you're a college student now. College, first semester, is absolutely an adjustment period. Everyone walks in and acts like they know what they're doing, but no one does. Everyone is looking to make new friends, everyone is trying to figure out where the best party is that night, and everyone is completely nervous/freaked out/confused about all of the new things being thrown at them.

There shouldn't be so much pressure on having a perfect time. You will make friends, you will have fun, and you will get a hold on your classes, even if it takes a few failures along the way. The whole idea that you have to do everything and be good at that right away is ridiculous! No one I know had the first semester of college that we idealize in our heads. First semester is hard... you miss your old friends, you miss your mom making you dinner and doing your laundry, and you might feel like you have to go out all of the time to fit in when you don't feel like it (which, btw, you don't!).

First semester (and sometimes the whole year) is hard, for everyone, even though it doesn't or might not look like it! You just have to power through, believe in yourself, take as many opportunities as you want to and open yourself up to having new experiences. Everything works out the way it should. I love college now, which I never thought I would say.

It gets so, so fun if you give it time. You just have to put in the effort, think positively, and go to the library sometimes :)

Check back in tomorrow for a complete list of my back to school clothing essentials!

xoxo