Back to School: My Experience and Advice

10:38 AM

As we're nearing the beginning of August I'm starting to get nostalgic for my years of college. As we all know, I got pregnant the first semester of my Sophomore year. I'm taking this next semester off, to take care of Leighton, and I was going through some old pictures last night and decided to make a post. College for me was bitter-sweet. While it was the most fun I've ever had, it's also when I hit my deepest depression. But other than that, I had the best time. I got to rush the best sorority in the world, make some amazing friends, take some crazy interesting classes, and meet the love of my life. Starting out college, I came in during the spring semester. My roomate was my high school best friend, and we had so much fun for the time I lived with her. After about 2 weeks of classes I decided to spring rush. After meeting with all the sororities I decided to accept my bid from Zeta Tau Alpha, and it was the best decision I ever made. I have made so many amazing, life-long friends and some memories I'll never forget.

So here's my advice based on my experiences.

1. Go to freaking class. It's so easy to skip class. You don't have anyone holding you accountable for anything, and if your professor doesn't take attendance then it's much much easier to just say, "I'll get notes from someone" but whether or not you actually follow through with just getting notes, it won't compare to actually being in class.

2. Give sorority rush a shot! I always knew I wanted to join a sorority. When I rushed I had just turned 17 (I graduated high school early) so I didn't get to go to the bars with my friends my first year of college, but still had so so much fun. The girls I met were amazing and it was just so great to have that home away from home. I've never had such a great support system, plus being apart of one of the largest national organizations has helped me and will continue to help me in the years to come. Sisterhood is such a beautiful thing.

3. Go out. Yes this sounds bad, but go out with your friends. Not every night, and don't go crazy, but have some fun while you're there. If you chose to drink, do it responsibly, and be smart. Never go anywhere by yourself and don't leave with people you don't know.

4.Study study study. My first year of college I tried to study as much as possible, but life got in the way. My favorite thing to do was study all night the night before my exams. Looking back now I see that wasn't the smartest thing to do and if I would've just designated some time EVERY day to studying it would've been a lot easier.

5. Get a job. For me, I wasn't allowed to work my first semester. My parents wanted me to keep my focus on school. I worked my second semester, and even though my parents reloaded my card every week it was still nice to have a job. I got a job waitressing a few days a week with a couple of my sisters and had so much fun and made good money.

6.Be smart with boys. It wasn't until my sophomore year that I met a guy worth anything. Every other boy I had an interest in turned out to be a complete jerk, and really didn't want to do anything but get drunk. While I wasn't looking for a long-term relationship, most boys couldn't even commit to a movie a few days in advance. So be smart and trust your instincts. The first guy I dated in college turned out to be the man I'm marrying. So keep that in mind :)

7. Work out. Most schools have a rec center where you can work out for free so completely utilize it.

So there's my tips and tricks to help with the first year of college. Above all just be smart, and have a good time. College is a time you never get back, so just make sure you have fun and study hard!