For the most part, we love our parents. . They’re always there to protect us and make sure we’re breathing, fed, and wake up on time for school. If you’re lucky, they might even celebrate your birthday. But let’s be honest, parents can be a bore as well. After nearly two decades of being told what to do, anyone would be ready to jump at the chance of experiencing what it’s like to live on their own.

From my own experience, the first week and a half (or so) on campus was composed of two things: sunny, cheerful days where I roamed around campus as a bright eyed freshman, anticipating my new life as a certified ADULT. Nights were filled with me tossing and turning, biting my finger nails, anxious over whether I’d really be able to handle this thing known as college.

Spoiler: I handled it. You can handle it too. It (probably) won’t be easy, but it definitely won’t be the hardest thing you’ll have to do in life.

Actually, the hardest thing for me to adjust to during my transition from home-life to dorm-life was taking on foreign responsibilities and making long term decisions. (Do I sound dramatic?)

Since the start of my education, my mom always woke me up for school, made breakfast, and made sure I got to school on time. My teachers would tell me about homework, project, assignments, and even would remind me the day before it was due.

Upon transitioning to living on campus, all of that changed. Suddenly whether or not I went to class became my decision. I either tapped the ‘stop’ button on my alarm in the mornings or I missed class. I couldn’t blame my professor for not telling me about an assignment because it’s not their job to text me each time they update the syllabus.

While that does sound a bit hectic, you can always prepare for these type of responsibilities by moisturizing and staying hydrated.

Don’t worry too much about feeling super comfortable on campus. Everybody’s a little awkward and weird in the beginning. Don’t expect everything to be perfect. You can still have a great time without everything being spotless. Let yourself make your mistakes, get a little dusty, but don’t give up.

You are going to be taking on many different responsibilities while being away from home. Who’s going to wake you up in time for class? Who’s going to make sure you eat all three meals? Who’s going to make sure you stay hydrated and pimple-free? Y-O-U.

Hello (hola, bonjour, 안녕하세요, 你好) incoming Mawrters! I’m Lindsey, a writer, cat owner, plant enthusiast and a lover of thrasher films. And for good measure, I’m a Sagittarius (Virgo moon). I’ve spent the last 19 years as a native of Philadelphia; home of typical Philly things such as Rocky, Will Smith, and sweaty cheesesteaks that drip everywhere. Sounds amazing, right? Let’s move on…

You’re probably wondering why I’m here. Why you were born. Why you are on this blog. Why the college enrollment process is so stressful and unnecessarily messy. And why you’re being directed to a blog site ran by a first year that seems to think she is the boss of you.

First, let’s get one thing straight: I’m not your boss. I don’t want to be your boss. One of the joys of graduating from high school and going to college is that nearly everything is up to you. You are in charge of yourself. What you wear, what you eat, the classes you take, when you wake up or go to sleep, it’s all up to you.

That freedom is something I really appreciated about Bryn Mawr. At first, I thought It was going to be hard for me to adapt to living independently, that I’d never adjust to having to take care of myself without my parents holding my hand or telling me what to do. But after a few weeks of settling in, I found myself more comfortable than ever. I created my own schedule, watched plenty of Netflix, ate ice cream for dinner without flinching, and played by my own rules. Ya know, cause I’m a rebel.

However, it can become awfully hard to fully enjoy the college experience when you have no idea where to start or what’s going on.

That’s the reason I’m here: to give you the knowledge I wish I had as an incoming freshmen. There are probably many questions you have in regards to what happens between now and when you walk into your first class next semester. Like how many classes are you allowed to take, what the heck is the tri-co, or maybe you just want to know how my day is going or something (wink, wink). Whatever it is, I’ll be here to answer it.

“Knowledge is the fruit of life” Kim Kardashian once said. So eat as much knowledge as you can or you’ll always be hungry.

I hope you guys are as excited as I am to get to know each other over the next few months. Make sure to keep up with this blog as I will be posting many things in the coming days that will be extremely useful to you. Don’t miss out when you don’t have to. Goodbye for now!