College is happening soon. And it can be scary. But let me assure you – everything will be okay.

Don’t believe me?

Christina and Lauren, two rising sophomores at Fordham University (at the time of this post), can attest to it. Not only did they survive their freshman year, but they absolutely LOVED it!

Listen to their words of wisdom, get encouraged, and take their advice to heart! Their reflection of their first year in college should give you an insight and a glimpse into your future!

Christina D’Ambrosio (Class of 2018)–

1. Everything falls into its rightful place.

At the beginning, everyone is trying to know as many people as possible, to see where they fit in. After a few months of the scramble to fit in, you find your “people.” People who are on the same page as you, who understand your goals and desires, and who will support you, no matter what. The awkward “are we friends?” fades away, and everything settles down. Another thing that finally worked itself out for me was the roommate thing. I was randomly placed into a horrible rooming situation (she wore diapers, need I say more??), but it eventually was sorted and looking back, I grew from it. Because of the situation imposed upon me, I was forced to be super extroverted and make friends on my own, outside of the room we shared. It taught me to be respectful of someone else’s living space, and although I did grow stronger from that experience, I was beyond relieved when I moved out. Now, living with my best friend, I have truly learned what it is to be a roommate and appreciate her company so much more. No matter how tough things get, whether its relationships or living situations, I really do believe that patience is key because everything works itself out in time.

2. Step outside your comfort zone.

Okay, most cliché piece of advice ever given before starting college, but it is so real. The only way I was able to make friends was by reaching out to people and forcing myself out of my usual comfort zone. Was I terrified to knock on my neighbors’ doors on move-in day? Of course! But, it paid off in the long run. Breaking the ice is always awkward, but if someone’s gotta do it, why not me?
This also applies to getting involved on campus. There truly is nothing more important than finding your footing within a group of people who like the same things you do. It allows you to build a network of friends who are not necessarily in your class, but are people who you can look to as role models for where you see yourself being in a few years. I found this incredibly helpful and think that in order to really be able to develop as a person, you need to be comfortable with sharing your passions with others. Joining clubs and organizations made a huge difference in my freshman year, and I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like had I not gone out of my comfort zone to join.

3. Don’t sacrifice who you are for the sake of others.

I learned that people who truly belong in your life will cherish you, as you are. Becoming friends with people and wanting them to like you is hard enough as it is, why bother trying to make people like someone who isn’t really you? Changing to make people accept you is so counteractive in this way because you lose sight of your goals and values instead of allowing them to thrive. It took a lot for me to come to terms with the fact that some people just aren’t going to like certain things about me. In the end it really just took stepping away from some situations to realize relationships shouldn’t be about sacrificing things that are important to you. If the other person really cared about you, it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t feel the same way about a certain thing as you, they’d support you and the things that make you happy. It was a tough lesson to learn, but I realized that there is absolutely no room in my life for anyone who belittles not only me, but also the things I am passionate about. No matter how great you think they might be, that is not what friendship is meant to be.

4. Know who your real friends are.

Again, it’s hard to make friends at the beginning when everyone has a front up that is hiding who they really are in order to impress others. Once people took down the walls and showed their true character, though, that’s where I learned a lot this year. I found there was a lot of fake happy that went on for a while, but once the cracks started coming, they didn’t stop. I think it’s really interesting that when you are in the most pain, and going through a tough time, you come out of it knowing so much more about yourself. I learned so much about myself and the person I hold myself to be while watching a few of my closest relationships fall to shambles.
I came to the conclusion that at this point in my life, there is absolutely no excuse for keeping toxic friends around. In high school, it was different. You had to keep toxic people around because if not, the whole school would know you were fighting, and people would take sides, and you’d be left with no one. At this point, though, that is not the case, and there is literally not a single reason to sustain toxic relationships. There are thousands of students at this school, and millions of people in New York City, why lock yourself into relationships that only bring you down? Finding people who will cheer you on in everything you do, no matter their own personal interest in it, are the real deal, and the ones I learned to appreciate immensely this year.

5. GPA doesn’t define your worth.

At a school where the core is your worst enemy, GPA is a gray area and is something that causes a lot of controversy. In high school, I graduated in the top of my class, never got a C in my life, but when getting grades back in December, I was beyond thrilled to receive my first C — Computer Science. I worked harder for that grade than I had for any A I ever received, and I was thrilled. When sharing my excitement, though, I did not get the congratulatory responses that I thought I would, from friends at the least. Instead, I heard a lot of, “Well, you can bring your GPA up next semester,” which is when I realized: my GPA means nothing to anyone but myself. If I’m proud of the work I put in, no one can tell me it’s not enough. If I wanted to have a 4.0, for me, that would mean sacrificing the time I have put into gaining real-life experience. I have been able to balance my time between interning and participating in clubs on campus in order build my resume, all while sustaining an average GPA. For me, that’s more important than an employer looking down and seeing a blank resume with a 4.0 in bold font at the top. In all, I learned that to get all that I can from my time at Fordham, I need to put in hard work, and be proud of the grades that I receive. My GPA does not define my worth, nor does it reflect the passion I have for achieving my long-term goals.

In all, thank you, freshman year, for teaching me some of the greatest lessons of my life. I am more independent, confident and inspired than ever, and I have you to thank. It has been a crazy transition, but I am so excited to do it all again in the fall.

Lauren Winn (Class of 2018)–

To the greatest year of my life:

I truly cannot find the words to thank you enough. The things that you have brought me made me so entirely grateful. I have watched myself grow from a hesitant and young college freshman to an excited, passionate, and academically, socially, and culturally immersed young adult…

I will be the first to say that I hated high school. While I was there and living in the moment, sure, it wasn’t bad. That is only because I didn’t know what was ahead of me. Some of my friends who I thought would be friends forever had no problem letting me go, and I took that as m time to fly. I moved into my dorm in August ready to make a new family tree, full of friends who loved me for who I was, something I had to work for before. I learned that finding soulmates, finding best friends who appreciate me for everything I am and not putting me down is a real thing. Those beautiful people exist everywhere.

Ultimately, the people you meet, the lessons you learn, and the discoveries you make are what truly craft your first year of college and the way you handle that makes all the difference.

To friendships:

I never know love like this was real. It always seemed there was a certain way I had to act to maintain friendships, but that is the biggest falsehood I think I’ve ever come across.

Being myeslf is what it took to know the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I have no doubt in my mind that the friends I have connected with here are the people I hold nearest to my heart.

These people who have made me so incredibly happy and who have seen absolutely all of me and love me for it, will always be unforgettable.

To negativity:

Whatever form negativity decides to take, whether it be people who get you down or in the form of a stigmatized number that you’re nervous to say is your GPA, I say forget it. Seriously.

Obviously, working hard in school is magnificently important. In fact, it’s the most important thing to do while studying at a university. By forgetting about the negativity, I mean to say that your GPA never defined you, and it never will.

Be proud of the hard work you put in and stop comparing yourself to others. When I finally figured out that college isn’t a competition in self-worth but a place to discover your self-worth, my outlook changed drastically.

RELATED: How to Survive Your Freshman Year of College

See also: College Packing List + Mental Checklist

This article was originally published on blog.tun.com with permission from both student writers.