Everything I Need to Know About High School, I Learned From Taylor Swift

Way back in 2008, Taylor Swift was a country singer and she released a little album called Fearless. The second song on the album, Fifteen, was written about Swift's early days of high school, from meeting her best friend, Abigail Anderson, to the ups and downs of teen romance. If you really listen to the lyrics of the song, you can learn a lot about how to survive high school.
1. "You take a deep breath, and you walk through the doors." This is important if it's your first day of high school and you're a little nervous. Just take a deep breath before you walk inside.
2."Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say, 'you know, I haven't seen you around before.'" There's a good chance you are hoping for this. However, if a senior boy is flirting with you, run. He's almost 18, if he isn't already, and you're 14-15. That is not okay.
3. "Count to ten, take it in, this is life before you know who you're gonna be." Yes. This. Freshman year, and high school as a whole, doesn't last forever. Use this time to explore new things and figure yourself out. Enjoy it.
4. "In your life, you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team." So true. If you do end up dating the boy on the football team and it works out, that's great. Just don't get so focused on making that happen that you lose yourself. There are way more important things like friends, doing things you love, and figuring out who you want to be.
5. "Don't forget to look before you fall." This is one of my favorite lines in this song. Before you do something or date someone, really think about if it's right for you. Ask yourself, is this going to lead me closer to who I want to be? Will I be happy if I do this, or just end up hurt? These are important questions. If all else fails, ask your friends and family.
6. "I've found time can heal most anything." My other favorite line. It's 100% true. You're going to make mistakes. It's what teenagers (and humans in general) do. What's important is that you don't let those mistakes define you. Just give it time and move on. You'll be fine.
Now, go own this school year like the rock star you are! You've got this!

College Life Tips

It's your freshman year of college. You're living in a new place with new people. It can be scary, I know, but I'm here to help. Here are some tips to help with the transition and help you get the most out of your college experience.

• Get to know your roommates/suitemates. Getting to know the people you are living with will make living with them a lot better and a lot easier.
• Bring pictures of your friends and family. Put them up on your side of the room. Trust me, it'll help with the homesickenss.
• Use your headphones. Not everyone wants to listen to the music or movie you're listening to. Be respectful of that.
• Invest in some noise-canceling headphones. As someone who lived near some of the loudest people ever, not having noise-canceling headphones is probably one of my biggest regrets. Don't know which ones to get? Review.com conducted thorough research to find the best. Read all about them here and decide for yourself.
• Keep the noise down. When you're just hanging out in your dorm, don't be blasting music and talking as loud as possible. The people around you are trying to study. Keeping your voice down will also help keep the wrong people from learning things you don't want them knowing about you,
• Flush the toilet. You would think with everyone being 18 and older this wouldn't need to be said, but it does. In most college dorms, bathrooms are shared by multiple people.
• Keep your personal items in your space. It's really frustrating when you go to brush your teeth and some other girl's stuff is all over the counter...and she's not even in the bathroom. Or when you go to take a shower and the girl who showered before you has left her clothes and shampoo everywhere.
• Close the curtain when you shower. When you shower with the curtain open, it gets the bathroom floor very wet, sometimes to the point that it feels like it's flooded. Don't be the girl that leaves the bathroom floor all wet for the next girl.
• Wear flip flops in the shower. In fact, just never go to the bathroom barefoot. It's college. You never know what you might step in. Dorm bathrooms and showers tend to be quite gross.
• Be aware of dorm rules. A lot of schools have certain rules to follow when living in a dorm (i.e. quiet hours). Be aware of those rules and follow them. It will save you a lot of trouble, literally.
• Join clubs. Most schools have some kind of club fair to show what activities they have available. Go to it and find at least one group/activity that interests you. It'll help you make friends that share your interests, and you'll get more out of your college experience.
• Go to events on campus. Just like joining clubs, going to campus events (i.e. dances, movie screenings, cookouts, etc.) will help you meet people and make friends. They're also super fun and sometimes include free food.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Whether it's going to a tutor, talking to your professor during office hours, or talking with a counselor, don't be afraid to reach out when you need help. 
• Don't be scared of the RAs. Your Resident Assistants (RAs) are there to help you. Don't be afraid of them. Get to know them and let them get to know you. Getting to know them will humanize them a little bit and make it easier to reach out when you need help.
• Make time to study. Most of this post has been about the social aspect of being in college, but don't forget about the academics. With so much happening on campus, it's easy to get distracted. Be sure to schedule yourself some time to study and get homework done. (Hint: one way to study AND be social at the same time is to join/create a study group)

Don't be scared. You've got this! Have fun and be safe my dear freshies!