They say that hindsight is 20/20 vision and I guess thats a phrase for a reason. Especially when it comes to your freshmen year of college, there are definitely a few pieces of advice that we all wish we got before stepping onto campus for the first time.

While some things you just have to learn from experience (and thats the fun part), here are eight things I wish I knew before I started my freshmen year of college.

1. You don't have to join everything: I'm guilty of being that girl. I was the one wandering around the activities fair on the second day of school adding my name to (almost literally) every clubs email list. I signed-up for every group that looked even remotely interesting or like a good resume builder (or had free food). It didn't take long for me to realize that there was no way I was making 15 club meetings every week so one by one I made choices.

College isn't like high school; you don't need to flood your resume trying to participate in everything. Rather, pick two or three activities that you really enjoy and can invest yourself in. You'll get far more out of them, guaranteed.

2. Your friend group may change a lot: For me, one of the biggest surprises about college was that sometimes friends only last for a few days, weeks, months, or a semester. The fact that circumstances and classes change every semester means that your best friend or entire social circle may change right along with it and thats okay. In fact, thats normal. Of course you'll end up with a core group of friends eventually, but if they aren't the people you met at orientation or your freshmen year roommate, don't worry thats totally normal.

3. Don't go home every weekend: I saw so many of my friends go home every weekend to hang out with their BFFs from home, high school boyfriends/girlfriends, etc. and miss out on some pretty fabulous bonding time while they were gone. The first few weeks of college are crucial for finding your place and really acclimating to campus. So if you can help it, stick around even if you're feeling homesick. Home will still be there at Thanksgiving, I promise.

About the author: Emily Grier is a senior at Penn State University_ earning her Bachelors and Masters of Accounting. Emily was a 2011 Collegiate Correspondent for USA Today College and former managing editor of Valley Magazine, Penn States life and style publication. Shes been published on seventeen.com, The Huffington Post, Her Campus, Thought Catalog, and in The Pennsylvania CPA Journal. She spent Fall 2012 interning in London, England.

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