I’m officially done with my undergraduate career as of Friday, August 5. I walked across the stage, got handed an empty leather folder with a letter inside thanking me for four years of hard work and lots of money. Having graduated college, I was thinking back to my freshman year and the advice I wish I could have gotten and actually listened to. Here goes:

1. Go to class.  Looking back over my transcripts, I realized I could have made all A’s my entire freshman and sophomore year if I had just only missed class when I was actually sick. My course load at that time was not overwhelming but still required time and effort. If I had only not been lazy and gone to every class, my GPA would be in much better shape.
2. Not everyone is going to like you. and that’s totally okay. You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. If people don’t like you, it is really their loss. Move on to people who appreciate your honest awesomeness.
3. Ask for help sometimes. There will be times when you simply cannot do it all. You are not actually super woman and you might need help every now and then. It doesn’t always have to be help from your parents. Friends are there for a purpose too.
4. Exercise more often. Not only is it super healthy and will keep you from getting a beer belly, it will de-stress you. And de-stressing is a vital skill to surviving the next insanely busy four years of your life. Why didn’t you figure this out before your senior year? Running and yoga are God’s way of chilling you out. Take advantage.
5. Don’t be afraid of failure. Cause it’s gonna happen, no matter how much you plan. It’s better to make mistakes in college and learn from them, rather than at your first job. It’s from failing that you learn the most, not from success.