Some tips for those of you preparing to go off to college for the first time.

I don't know how valuable my opinion is, but I wanted to give incoming college freshmen a few tips based off of my experience that I think I would have liked to have known prior to starting my freshman year. Some may sound like a parent, but trust me: when you're in my position a year from now, you'll look back and say to yourself "ohhhh! THAT'S what she meant!". So, humbly, here we go!

• Go to church. It's one of the most important things I can tell you. Isn't it like 80-90% of church-going high-schoolers don't go to church in college? Whatever it may be, fight it. Hard. Even if you have to go by yourself. You'll want to sleep, eat, watch tv, whatever, but going to church provides stability, routine, and discipline all necessary to your relationship with Christ. Not to mention, Jesus tells us to do it. College kids are not the exception, contrary to common belief.
• Not everyone drinks. I know, "duh" right? Well, no. The good eggs are tough to find, ya'll. Let's just be honest. The drinking crowd is the easiest crowd to get in with because all you have to have in common is a love for getting ratchet...which you can easily develop if you didn't have it prior to college. If you find yourself looking around you and literally no one can have a good time sober, you're not looking hard enough. Don't sit in your dorm and mope, get out there. You have nothing to lose. Christian organizations, neighbors, Facebook creep, classes, church, etc. If you're going to party that's fine, just don't say it was because it was the only option.
• Food moderation. For those of you like me, you will have a tendency to essentially starve yourselves because you'll forget to eat. I know that sounds silly, but your parents are not stocking your fridge (well, some of your parents might be financially stocking it, but the responsibility still lies with you) and you have to stay on top of it. I had a hard time justifying spending my money on food that my mom would usually buy...I had to get over it and bite the bullet. Obviously the opposite is more true than my scenario: Freshman 15. UNCW overall is a really fit school, so things like eating healthy and going to the gym are highly encouraged and really popular (gotta keep up the beach bod), but even with that being the case--you have a lot of free time, more than you will know what to do with. Do not eat because you are bored. Fight it. Chew copious amounts of gum if you have to. Oh, and beer and most alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories, the beer belly is not a myth and ladies it is not cute.
• Do not overwhelm yourself, especially first semester. People push "GET INVOLVED GET INVOLVED GET INVOLVED!!" and yes, you absolutely should, but at your own pace. Everything worth being a part of happens outside of your comfort zone but you need to know yourself and to know your limits. This is a huge transition. Taking it slow can be very beneficial, too. 
• Every freshman is the new kid. Cliche, I know. But don't ever let yourself think that you're alone in this, because you've got hundreds, if not thousands of kids right there with you. Some show it differently but you're all in the same boat.
• You don't have to have every step of your life planned out. This was huge for me. It's totally okay to just chill. You have to take core classes anyways, so if you don't know your major yet, CALM DOWN. It's most likely going to change, anyway. Take a variety of classes within the core selection and see what you like. Literally everyone is going to ask you what your major is. That doesn't mean you need to know. Answer differently every time or tell them majors that don't exist, I don't know! Just don't stress. God's gonna get you there, don't you worry bout a thang.
• You don't have to be everyone's best friend. Surprise! We aren't in high school anymore! Always be kind and always be respectful, but there are no cliques for you to try to squeeze your way into and you don't have to go around trying to be the "most popular" unless you're running for class president. 
• Study. For hours upon days upon weeks. It will come more naturally than you think (this is for those of you who are like me and didn't have to put much time into high school work) but it will also blindside you when your medium effort lands you a D that usually would have no doubt gotten you an A. Cs get degrees, remember that.
• Authentic friendships take time. The friendships I made in middle and high school at NRCA were and are just amazing. I connect with those people on every level. So, I went to college thinking I would immediately find those same connections in people I had just met. Obviously, I was wrong. I may be speaking to a minority here because I think this is mostly common sense, but if you feel like you have the really deep friendships that I do, understand that those took years to get to the place where they are now. Just be prepared to start from scratch with people. Which means some awkward small talk sometimes a lot. You will build, though. You just have to give it time. It's amazing how connections deepen and strengthen even just from August to May. If you try to force it, you could ruin it and miss out on valuable and memorable steps along the way.
• You will start to lose contact with old friends. It's okay. It's natural and not a terrible thing. The people who care the most about you will make the effort and vice versa. 
• Going home every weekend makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You can do it, yes, absolutely. You can do it quite well in fact. All I'm saying is that the weekend is when you can do a lot more with people and spend a lot of time with them. If you're spending that time at home, you have to play catch up every time you come back. It's definitely possible, but it's also harder. We all detach from home at different rates, some are slower than others. I personally don't find myself needing to go home that often (I got sick first semester which caused me to come home a lot for appointments, and if anyone would like to know about it feel free to ask) but others have a very, very difficult time being away and it's heartbreaking to watch. Just know for those of you who are homebodies that it's painful but you will get through it and you will grow, a lot. Sometimes you need to endure the pain though.
• Sleep. 
• The dining hall will get old after about a week. Know of other food to eat or you'll be in trouble.
• Have a good study spot. Not a lot of people I knew actually studied in their dorms. I won't post my study spot so fellow Seahawks don't snag it, but having a routine place is comforting in a weird way. You can study anywhere on campus, go on little adventures by yourself! It's very peaceful, actually.
• Don't bring up politics or religion with someone who obviously believes the opposite. Seriously. This is coming from THE lover of all arguments. It is not worth it. Think of your motives when you start: if it's pride, the love of a fight, anger, the need to "correct" or be right, to appear intelligent--put that puppy to sleep. Jog it off, take a lap, count to ten, some deep breaths--whatever gets you zen. I went from being the person in high school who was up in arms at ANY argument to the almost silent college kid, by choice. I shouldn't be silent, I know, the point is that "only a fool says everything on his mind." Don't be a fool because you'll be publicly made one. Ignorant arrogance is a terrible thing.
• Finally: be yourself. Ya'll, this is the best part. People want to know you. People want to know your quirkiness, weirdness, everything that makes you, YOU! Don't try to "fit in" because the only way to fit in is by being an individual. Everyone can relate to weirdness, no one can relate to perfection. Do you. And while you're doing you, your path will cross with the paths of those similar to you, and thus, friendship! Be confident in your unique and radiant individuality. Every second you spend pretending to be someone else is a second you have wasted that was intended for only you to fulfill in a very important and specific way. Don't miss opportunities because of that. 

And that about sums it up for what I'd like to publicly say. I'm pretty much an open book so if anyone wanted to talk about anything or pray about the upcoming four years, please contact me. I'd love to do anything I can to add some comfort to this huge transition. Facebook, twitter, texting, email, phone calls--I'm pretty accessible! 

Call on Jesus for everything, both college related and not. If you're following Him, you will not be led astray.