I get it. College is scary. 

There are tons of opportunities, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. It’s your choice, however, whether you thrive or not. And this is done by your outlook on this time in your life and your actions taken during it.

You have the option to get great grades, listen in class, make wonderful friends who truly love you for your quirky self, learn about something that you’ll devote your life to, and make the most of this life experience.

But then there is the alternative. There is the option where you can choose to not take this time seriously. Partying your brains out, making friends with those that don’t really like you for you, trying to fit into something you’re not, majoring in something just because your parents tell you “it’d be a good fit”, and sleeping with every guy in your hall. You can choose to skip every class and get horrible grades, gain 50 pounds from an over-consumption of beer and lack of your body’s needs, lacking any respect for your professors or your parents who work their hardest to give you this opportunity.

But you are so, so much better than that.

And we all know that one girl that did fall off the deep end in college and lose sight of her path. And it truly happens to the best of us. But it’s rough getting back on your feet if you’ve let yourself go enough. It’s better to avoid getting to that place to begin with, for it will save you a lot of struggle and regret.

College is a wonderful thing. It can provide so much goodness and shape us into wonderful human beings. But it can also cause us to fall off the deep end, if we’re not careful.

That’s why we gotta keep ourselves in line, and know how to avoid this cliff that so many of us fall off, without knowing it’s happening.

So without further ado, let’s review how to make the most of college instead of throwing away this gift.

1. Don’t Go Out Every Night

Sure, you can have fun with your girlfriend’s every once in awhile. But do you really think it’s necessary to hit the bars every night? This leaves you with horrible sleep, the temptation to sleep through class, and certainly not taking care of your brain. Your brain wasn’t made to engage in a ton of alcohol consumption. Instead, it needs good sleep, and your body needs healthy drinks going into it. When you go out every night, your priorities are not in line. You’re in college to pursue a career and work hard, and you’re doing neither of those things when you go out all the time. You should make sure you have fun with your friends and have off-time, but make sure this is not every night.

2. Feed Yourself Good Things

It’s easy to go to the dining hall and get chicken fingers and fries every time you enter these domains. Or for breakfast to get a good ole donut and a big pound of bacon. Yes, these are tempting, and I am an advocate for treating yourself every once in awhile. But we women are supposed to take of our bodies. And in doing so, we have to feed it good and healthy things that are going to nourish it. Instead of drinking four cups of coffee (however if you have an all-nighter to attend to, you might need this) you should drink water throughout the day. Instead of running for the crispy chicken sandwich in the dining hall, resist and grab a healthier option. Your body will thank you for it.

3. Find Like-Minded Friends

Sister, I know you want to fit in. We all do when we get to college. Something about being alone on the first time on our own is horrifying, but don’t let this cause you to cling to the first people you see.

Reaching for the “it” crowd is not the smartest thing to do, because there is no “it” crowd in college. And the girls that walk around like they are the next big thing since Oprah are the one you wanna run like heck in the other direction. Even if they seem like they have it all, no amount of status will fulfill the true friendship hole in your heart you desperately need.

College is the most wonderful time to meet life-long friends. Friends that will be with you through everything, your wedding, your first job, and your first kiddo. You will be there for them when they go through life’s obstacles, too. You want to make sure these girls are your girls, those that love the same quirky things you do. And to find these girls, I recommend:

1. Being yourself, first and foremost.
2. Joining organizations you’re interested in where you will find girls that love the same things you do. I met most of my girlfriends through Young Life College in the first week of school, and what a blessing it was to find my people.
3. Or joining a Greek organization where you resonate with the values and character.

You might think you are too cool to step out of your comfort zone and meet others through organizations, but this raises your chances of meeting people who would be great to do life with in college, because you need your girls. Friendship is vital during this time of your life.

3. Take Care Of Yourself

College can be crazy, and you can get sucked into dark holes without even noticing you were on your way there. That’s why I think, in the midst of the craziness, we need to look for ways to take care of ourselves and keep ourselves grounded. For me, that’s reading. I know, I sound like a nerd, but this is my thing. I find so much solace in reading. And my question to you is, what do you find solace in?

Is it playing your favorite instrument? Is it singing? (which you can find places to do this in your school’s library) Is it yoga? Maybe even running? Is it face-masks, or painting your nails?

Whatever it is, make time for it in college. Don’t let your day’s get so busy to the point where you don’t take care of yourself. If you put everything in front of your own mental health, you will not do well. You will become a ball of stress, and you won’t love the people around you well, or do good work. And this is not to promote self-indulgence, but there’s a fine line between selfishness and self-care. Self-care and rest are both good, good things. Selfishness is not. And if you’re doing self-care to make sure you can love people best and serve the world best, then that sounds pretty selfless to me.

4. Keep in Touch With Your Fam & Friends

The people that raised you from an infant and the people there for you since the horrible braces-awkwardness-and-acne-all-at-the-same-time days should be involved in your life. They know you better than you know yourself, and they will keep you in line and your eyes on what’s most important through college. These people love you dearly and they will tell you if they feel you are doing something you shouldn’t, and they’ll tell you this because they want the best for you. It’s never fun hearing the cold-hard truth, but for the good of our lives, sometimes it is necessary. Blocking out your friends and family will block out the grounds you grew on for so many years.

5. Set Some Goals

This one is crucial. If you don’t set some expectations for yourself, things could take a turn. You want to look at your time in college and think, how can I make this the most fruitful experience possible? Here are some ideas if you want some inspo:

• If you don’t know what you want to do with your life, make it a goal of yours by the end of the school year to do informational interviews with at least three people in professions you’re interested in.
• Want all A’s? Make it a goal of yours to meet with all your professors personally and see what they expect from you, and to study x amount of hours a week.
• Is it your dream to become the President of an organization you’re passionate about? Dissect what you need to do in order to get there.

I think starting big is the key here. So if you’re looking at your upcoming year, set one big goal for that year. Really shoot for the stars here, I believe in you! Then write down the steps it’s going to take to reach that goal. Set each one of those steps for each month of the school year. Set several goals for the overarching year, and you’ll walk out of that school year with all these accomplishments and closer to doing good work for the world!

Friends, I know you can thrive in college. You have every ability to do good work and enjoy your school experience to its full ability. But it’s up to you to decide whether you want to. Nobody is going to live your life for you, which is a good thing if you choose to put your best step forward and keep your eye on the prize. You don’t want to look back on this time and think- Man. I’ve wasted it. 

Education is a gift, and we ought to start treating it like one.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to keep their priorities straight in college? Mention in the comments below!