College, the place where dreams come true and bank accounts die, is now in full swing and there is a brand-new shipment of bright eyed Freshman straight out of high school. However, no matter how optimistic one might be, there are many things about college that I wish I’d known before jumping straight into this new part of life.

It isn’t as hard as high school. Granted there can be some crazy hard classes in college and a full schedule plus a job or sport can be overwhelming, but when compared to high school, it is hardly a challenge. In college the number of classes you take is completely up to you, and when it is possible to have a three-day weekend, the workload can be greatly alleviated.

On top of that, if you manage to avoid 8 a.m. classes there is plenty of time to sleep in. An 11 o’clock wake up call is significantly better than a 6:30 a.m. one.

Everyone is looking for friends. Starting college is pretty much the same for everyone, despite their likes, dislikes, age, and other personality quirks. It is a new start for most students, and the majority have just lost their ride-or-die amigos to other colleges. This makes it extremely easy to make friends and spark companionship.

Take the chance to eat with someone that you don’t know or start a volleyball game with your dorm neighbors, because who knows, they might just become new life-long friends. Also make sure to do it sooner than later. There is a time limit for this openness.

Wait to buy your textbooks. Don’t be worried about being extra prepared for the first couple days of class. Textbooks can be extremely expensive, and they can take several trips to Taco Bell away from you faster than you can say Doritos Locos. Therefore, for the sake of junk food at one in the morning, wait a little bit to purchase all of those heavy money sponges.

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Some classes don’t really need the textbook for someone to pass the class, sometimes the previous editions suffice and a few textbooks are even rentable from the library. “Always Rent” is a great motto to have when searching for the proper texts. Finding ways around straight up buying the textbooks can save you several hundreds of dollars over your college career.

You won’t be left for dead (academically). High school teachers and parents seem try to instill fear in you that college is a dog-eat-dog world and if you fall behind in grades or aren’t understanding the content.

“Your professor isn’t going to care if you don’t know what is going on,” some overbearing teacher from your past said.

The truth is, especially due to the fantastic teacher-student ratio here at CMU, there are several resources available here at the school to help those students that might be struggling a little bit with their school work. The tutoring center in Houston Hall, IRIS to help with all your questions outside of course content, advisors, professors during office hours and your fellow students are all readily available to help you out.

Most professors aren’t trying to end your college career early – save the one you ran over with your bike on the way to class – and are more than willing to help out, given that you are putting in the effort to improve that is.

Don’t buy into the propaganda that no one is gonna help out, because that just isn’t true. Sure, momma isn’t going to wipe your cheeks and make it all better, but you can talk to just about anyone to get a little help along the way.

Don’t overdo it. Now that you are making all of your decisions on your own, it is time to learn mediation. It won’t take long to realize if that extra course or the four organizations were a little too much to handle. Stress is never good and college should be an exciting and enjoyable time of life, not just a series of tests and homework.

Of course, with that, it is important to keep from relaxing too much or too hard. A little too aloof can leave you wasting money on tuition and a little too much partying – which everyone knows won’t have consumption of illegal substances until the proper age – and can lead to you winding up in the hospital.

Goldilocks had the right idea: find the perfect in-between to have the best experience.

Now you are hopefully better equipped with how to deal with college and all the challenges that will occur during your stay. It is without saying that five tips are not nearly enough to fully prepare you for college life, but that is part of the beauty of it: finding your own way and making a path for yourself to follow. In the end, just try to have fun with it.