11 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a College Freshman.

1. Everything your mother has ever told you is true. 
- Wait what? Your mom actually knows what she's talking about? Heck yes she does. You know that boy she's been saying is no good? He's not. She keeps telling you to save your money. But do you? No. You should though. She tells you to be nice to everyone. Are you? She tells you to help out around the house, because these are skills you'll need later in life.... Do you help?
     Mom's have this weird sixth sense when it comes to their children, somehow they know exactly what you need to know for all instances in life. You want to know how they get this sixth sense? They were teenagers also. And it wasn't as long ago as you think. We think our parents are some far-removed generation whose problems were totally different than ours. Yeah, maybe technology has improved a hundred fold, but problems with boys, friends, and girls were exactly the same. They still had tests to take, homework to do, and college to plan for. Just like you. Moms have been through everything you have, and they had to do it all without cell phones. That deserves applause in itself. So listen to your mother, because no matter how much she nags, it's in your best interest.

2. Save ALL the money you possibly can. 
- Do you know how much it costs to be on your own? A butt-load. Just to name a few things you have to pay for when you move out: Rent. Car payment. Insurance. Laptop. Textbooks. Cell phone. Utilities. Gas. Groceries. School. Internet. Clothes. Soap. Shampoo and Conditioner. And so so much more. As soon as you leave your parents house, you become poor. So very poor. In high school, they never tell you just how much living costs. It will be a huge wake up call as soon as your savings run out. I once heard a quote that says "University teaches you how the world financially screws you over, while financially screwing you over." and it is so true. I wish there was a way to show you just how much you need to save your money... But i'll just leave you with this little nugget of information. When your in college, your bank account is under $1 way more than you'd like to believe. That's right. ONE DOLLAR.

3. Be nice to EVERYONE.
- Highschool is one big jerk fest. No matter how much you'd like to believe that you are that one person who is nice to everyone, chances are there is someone who has been wronged by you. Make sure that before you graduate, you make it right. Once you are out of high school you realize that none of the superficial bull crap mattered. There is no reason that anyone should be treated less than. If there is someone that you have ignored, or maybe thought "Oh, they're too nerdy," please try and make an effort toward them. Since leaving high school I have found out that some of the people
I missed out on meeting in high school, are some of the best people I have ever met!

4. Learn to cook.
- Ramen is really good right? Yeah, until the 200th time you have it for lunch. Learn to make easy, one serving meals now. Spend a couple nights in the kitchen with your mom learning how to make REAL food. Peanut butter and jelly can only satisfy you for so long. Being malnourished can lead to problems like sickness. And you don't want to get sick when you are paying for things on your own. Medicine is super expensive. Even the generic brand.

5. Study hard.
- D's get degrees in college. But D's don't get you a high school diploma. Or a college scholarship. Your GPA is so important. It will determine how many hours you have to work on top of all of the hours of homework you will have. In my 2 semesters of college I have gone to 2 schools. Snow College, where I had a full ride scholarship. And Weber State University, where I have no scholarship. My GPA is good enough to have a full ride, I just applied too late. (but that's a whole other story) And let me tell you, working and taking 20 credit hours is not the way that you want to do things. It puts so much stress onto you. For a while I thought that there was something physically wrong with me from they way I reacted to that stress. It's ridiculous. So, GET GOOD GRADES.

6. Stay close to what you know.
- Life gets hard. And if you are religious at all, God is what will get you through it. Yeah, maybe you hate going to church right now and your parents have to drag you out of bed every Sunday morning and forcibly drag you to the car, but you'll thank them later. I am definitely not the strongest person in my religion, not by a long shot. But when times get tough, at least I have something to lean on. By my parents example and the rough mornings of them dragging me to church, I learned things that I needed to use later on in life to get me through some of my roughest days. If you are religious, or even just spiritual (and there is a big difference) hold on to that. It will help you through all of your trials.

7. Party hard. 
- Friends are the best. The best memories you will ever make are the ones you make in high school. High school is the time when nobody really cares what you do. Teenagers can get away with so much because they are teenagers. Everyone knows that they are supposed to get into trouble. So have some fun (not ILLEGAL fun though). Stay out late. Dance in the street. Kiss people. Watch some sunsets. Go to concerts. Just make some sweet memories.

8. Keep exercising.
- The freshman 15 is a real thing. Oh boy is it so real. You may think that you are fat now, but just wait. Once you are out of school and don't do sports anymore, you don't have a mom to cook nutritious meals for you, and you have free time that you fill with Netflix and snacking, you get fat. Oh so fat. Your health is one of the only things you can control in this life, so take good care of it. Run. Hike. Jump. Climb. Ski. Snowboard. Anything. Just don't become passive. Most colleges have a free gym you can use. So take advantage of it. Find some buddies, and keep each other in check. Exercising is so much better when you do it with friends. And realizing you can't fit into your old skinny jeans anymore is an awful feeling. So GET FIT. And STAY FIT.

9. Take tons of pictures.
- Your memory is not as good as you think it is.  You may think that you will never forget your first date, or the last day of your senior year, but you will. There are so many memories that I wish I had taken a picture of. Like the first time I drove to school. Or the first time a boy asked me on a date. Or one of the (many) times I climbed on top of the video stand on the football field. There are so many great memories I have that I have no proof of. And I'm sure I have many more that I have forgotten about because I have nothing to remind me of them. Pictures are worth a thousand words. And your kids will have so much fun looking through them. I look through my parents pictures all the time and wish I had more to show my future children.

10. Keep your friends close. Even the not so good ones. 
- Soon everyone will leave. All of your friends will go their separate ways, wether that be missions, going off to school, or just wanting to leave the state. And soon only a handful will be left. Chances are, they're not going to be the friends you were closest to in high school. So keep in touch with everyone that you can. Friends are an amazing support system to have when you are going through a rough patch. And college so far, has been a big pile of rough patches. I don't know what I would do if I didn't stay close with my best friend from high school. But I wish I had stayed close with EVERYONE. I have started to rebuild many friendships, but it would have been a lot easier if I had just kept them strong in the first place. Friends are the family that you can choose. So choose wisely.

11. Make your own decision on your next steps.
- If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you? No. So if your friends are going to a college that isn't a good fit for you, then you shouldn't go. Your college experience will only be good if it is a good fit for you. I made this mistake. I followed my best friend to her college and thought that since it was a good fit for her, it would be a good fit for me. It definitely wasn't. I ended up coming home and going to Weber State which was the best decision I have made so far in my life. I enjoy going to school every day instead of dreading it. The classes are challenging, and they will help me be competitive in getting into my program. I am so glad that I realized that I needed to do what was best for me instead of what was the most fun. College is a very important part of your life, so choose wisely. 

     In closing, college is awesome. But so is high school. So enjoy it while you can and don't be in too big of a rush to grow up. It's important to cherish these moments. Because life is about to get a lot harder. But it's also about to get A LOT better. So hold tight. And party hard. I'll see you all in the real world soon enough. :)

- Morgan.