To the High School Seniors Going To College...

These are some very abnormal times for our world right now. Due to this recent virus I know that many of us are affected in many ways including our high school and college seniors. 

I personally want to extend my deepest condolences to you, I can only imagine putting in ALL of the blood, sweat, and tears that I had to put in just to get to the very end of my senior year and have something unpredictable stand between me and celebrating my accomplishments. However, I want to tell you that once things begin to lift and become normal again, I hope that you celebrate with your friends and family like no other!

 So for this week I want to dedicate this blog post to you guys and offer some advice that I wish I knew going into this stage of life. 

To the high school seniors going into college:

• Don't take 8am classes (unless you really want to)!! This is the only time in your life that you can enjoy sleeping in every single day and not be judged for it. Enjoy it while you can!
• Find a healthy eating balance- freshmen fifteen is a REAL thing!
• Do not forget to exercise! Find the time to get your workout in! The gym on campus opens early and closes late to accommodate students' needs - take advantage of that! Also, try out the workout classes. If it wasn't for my college experience, I would had never took up belly dancing, kick boxing, spinning, and HILT classes.
• Get involved with as much as you can on campus! Whether it is Greek Life, clubs within your major, religious organizations - find something and get involved!
• Focus on making as many meaningful relationships as you can. Network, network, network!! This will help you  later on in your career!
• Greek Life is ALWAYS worth it.
• Do not be afraid to reach out to tutors, aids, or professors if you need extra help. They want you to succeed. You are not being an inconvenience. Plus, your tuition pays for it.
• Having a social life is great but please remember that you are here for an education. Stay on top of your grades!
• Stay up to date on your scholarship requirements. They may possibly change after each semester. 
• Explore off campus! This is especially true if you are like me and moved to a new city. You will have a new appreciation for the world around you.
• Strive to always look presentable even if you are roaming around on campus and going to class - you never know who is watching!!
• Do as many internships as you can! You will thank yourself later when you go to build your resume.
• If you do an internship, NETWORK! A lot of internships turn into possible jobs and/or references for future employment.
• Stick to a weekly budget. Don't blow through your money!
• Take advantage of the on campus resources like counselling, the medical unit, the career center, the math and writing labs, and other student accommodations that your university may offer.
• Take care of your mental health. This is a transitional period and more than likely this is the very first time you are on your own without your family or parents.Universities usually offer free counselling to students - take advantage of it! Thank me later..
• Relationships come and go. Listen, not everyone ends up with their high school and college sweethearts. Again, you are there for your education, do not let your relationship cloud your goals. Dating during this time of your life is fun and it helps you figure out what you want in a partner. However, do not go to college to earn your MRS degree - be better than that.
• Failure happens, learn from it and let it make you better. The very first time I had ever failed a class was college freshmen math. I was devastated and thought it was the end of my world. I was able to retake it and have my retake replace the bad grade in my scholarship to where I was able to keep it. Do your best to NOT fail a class. Take precautions, heck, drop the class if you feel like you won't be able to pull it up. A "W" is better than a "F" in reference for scholarships.
• ORGANIZATION IS YOUR SAVING GRACE!!! The number one thing you will need to do is to stay organized!! Keep a planner! I had a mini planner and a wall calendar. I would write every single due date assignment, project,paper, and test on both whenever I first got my sylybi. Of course, things got changed or pushed back and I just made those changes as needed. I also kept all of my sorority meetings and events, my church events, and club meetings in these as well. I even wrote down my work outs and possible workout classes I wanted to attend. I was a very busy woman!
• Try new things! Whether it is a dish, a class, a workout class, a club - whatever it is just try it! Embrace the opportunities to explore new things because they will not be at the tip of your finger later on in life. Do it now! You may find new hobbies and passions.
• If you change your major and get behind don't beat yourself up. I was fortune enough to stay with my major and got in and out within four years. If you get into something and realize it is not for you then do not be afraid to change your mind. I changed my career goals probably a hundred times throughout college (criminal justice is such a broad field so I was able to get away with it). Do it while you can!
• Don't forget to go visit home. I barely went home the first half of my college career, and at the end of it I felt like I went home too much. Find a healthy balance. Don't forget where you came from but don't go running home every chance you can. Enjoy your time away!
• If you get in there and begin to realize college isn't for you IT IS FLIPPING OKAY I don't care what anyone says!  Trade schools are just as amazing if not better!

I am sure there are so many other pieces of advice I have forgotten but I want to leave you with these. I hope they inspire you and get you excited for this next chapter of your life! College truly is the best times of your life! Enjoy your time and congratulations on this next step!