I will never forget the first day of my freshman year at LSU. Late last August, I arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for move-in day at Evangeline Hall in the Horseshoe with two cars full of books, bedding, my entire closet, a brand-new futon and countless bags full of other necessities. 

I remember my parents and brother fighting over who needed to set up what in my new dorm, who got to do the easiest task, taking countless pictures to remember the day and walking my brother, dad and teary-eyed mom back to their car. 

And then, for the first time in my life, I was on my own. 

I was committed to making this year the best of my life to date, to challenging and opening myself up to all the university and the world at large had to offer. And in that spirit, I put my headphones on and took a walk to explore the campus to the tune of Hayley Williams’ album “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party”,  and cosplayed an adult who had everything figured out.

I didn’t know that the coming months would be some of the most challenging and rewarding of my life. So, to those incoming freshmen who feel they have it all figured out or perhaps have nothing figured out, I’d like to offer a few lessons I learned this year in hopes that your first year of adulthood is nothing less than stellar:

Call your mom

I know you’re rolling your eyes right now. Keep at it, but you’ll regret not taking my word for it. Freshman year is so exciting in large part because you get to enter into a brand new chapter of your life that is uniquely yours and increasingly separates your life from the collective life of your family at home, especially if you are living on campus. Enjoy that alone time, but refuse to let yourself be lonely, lest you lose yourself in that isolation.

Call your mom. Call your dad, your brother, your sister, aunt, uncle, cousin or anyone else that you love. They miss you, and you’ll probably come to find that you miss them too. While you’re out there figuring out who you want to be, don’t forget the people that helped to make you who you are. 

Try new things

We’re two-for-two on the cheesier bits of advice I have for you, but I’m entirely serious. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. The summer before freshman year, it occurred to me how little writing I was going to be doing as a STEM major — which devastated me as a very liberal arts-minded guy — so I sought out ways to keep myself writing even if it made me uncomfortable. 

I applied to the Reveille opinion section with little experience in journalistic practice and an uncertainty about what to expect. I am ending the year now with a group of friends I consider family and 30 articles under my belt. 

So I urge you to do what makes you uncomfortable, those things that keep you awake at night, those that make your throat close up and make your heart race and your head spin. There’s a reason for those feelings: You’re meant to embrace them. 

Go to class

Skipping class is genuinely the biggest dopamine hit the first few times you do it. Then, it’s just another Tuesday with an addiction to mediocrity. Go to class, or you’ll regret it. Your grades and self-esteem will be all the better for it, regardless of whether attendance is graded or mandatory. 

Be vulnerable

I’m a huge subscriber to the “invisible string theory,” that there are a multitude of people we are destined to find and connect with in our lives. Sometimes, these people come when we wish on stars or dandelions, desperate for some sort of divine connection. Other times, we aren’t expecting them or don’t even feel as though we need them, and at these unexpected times, they simply appear.

That said, the people that are meant for you won’t find you if you aren’t unabashedly yourself. 

Heavily in line with the saying, “don’t chase; attract,” you need to wear your heart on your sleeve even if it’s frightening. Remain open to everything and everyone — while protecting yourself, of course — and remember that you are worthy of good things. Let them come to you. Let them meet you where you are. They’ll know you by your heart. 

“No” is a full sentence 

It’s as simple as that. You need to study for a huge exam and your friends want you to go out? Say no. Is someone asking you to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe? Say no. Someone in your class wants you to send them your paper for “reference?” 

Say no. Say no. Say no. 

It’s not illegal. It may not always be fun, but you have control over the access you give others to yourself at any given moment. Use it when it matters.

Give yourself grace

You’re going to mess up — a lot. You’re going to fail homework assignments, quizzes, exams, maybe even a class or two. Your relationships are going to change and you are going to change. You might lose bits of yourself as you discover new ones. Your schedule is going to be all over the place, and you probably will be too. After all, you’re only human.

It’s going to be hard even though it will inevitably be worthwhile. All good things require struggle in some way or another, so don’t forget that the mistakes you make do not make you any less worthy of them, nor do they make you a failure or a lost cause. Learn to give yourself grace, not only because you’re going to need it but because you certainly deserve it. 

You have a beautiful life ahead of you — this is the time for you to embrace it.

Riley Sanders is a 19-year-old biology major from Denham Springs, La.