The month of August is crazy! For many students it means going back to school—and for some of those students it means starting an even crazier journey called going off to college. College is a crazy fun place full of new opportunities but we also have to keep ourselves grounded throughout the process. Here are some tips about going away to college.

You may cry and that’s okay

By may I am 100 percent sure you will probably cry once or twice or a dozen times. Sometimes you may not even be sure why you are crying. Maybe you are crying because you don’t like leaving home; crying because you have like no friends and “everyone else has 100”; crying because your course load is super hard. Crying because life. Either way it goes, there are a ton of more people crying too. Grab your favorite movie and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and cry it out. Things will be better, and you always feel better after a cry.

You will change your major (maybe)

You may go in undecided and that’s okay. You may change your major, that’s okay, you have elective space. You may change it super late in the game—and that’s okay too. Be happy with your degree, and don’t go into it for money. 99.9 percent of the time money is a horrible way to pick your major!

You can become a brand new person—but you don’t have to

Maybe you are already the person you need to be—you just need a new eye to see it…one that didn’t remember you during your geeky braces phase. If you weren’t a partier in high school—chances are you won’t become one in college. Stay true to yourself and don’t change for the college stereotype. Change because you want to change.

Saying no is okay

I know everyone’s advice is to not say no. Obviously that’s bologna. It’s okay to say no sometimes—especially if someone is pressuring you to do something you don’t want to—whether it’s as simple as going to a party or doing something more serious. Saying no is okay and you should totally assert your right to say no in college.

Make time for family time

Call, text, friend your mother and father on Facebook. Whatever you need to do to make sure your family knows about you. They will miss you—you will miss them and that’s normal. Keep them updated and it will be like they are there with you.
I hope this article gave you some helpful tips on college life. This is the last Pep Talk Monday for my Blog-a-Day series. I hope you have been enjoying it!