The only thing REALLY worth crying about is JJ’s being out of mozzarella sticks. Take it from Daily Editor Sophie Tobin, who shed a whole lot of pointless tears during her first year of college.

There are a lot of things to cry about. But there are also a lot of things that are going to be okay. Here are eight things you might be pressed about this coming school year, but aren’t worth a single tear:

1. Getting your first lackluster grade. Maybe you completely busted your ass, maybe you put off doing every single reading until the night before your final paper is due. Either way, it’s really hard to go from (let’s face it) breezing through high school with straight A’s, to actually having to put in the effort to something you feel like should come naturally to you. Don’t beat yourself up over it. And ESPECIALLY don’t compare yourself to others. No one brags about their shitty grades, and no one is perfect. Especially not their first year!
2. You’re the only one who doesn’t have their life ~Figured Out~. Lol, no one does. College is the epitome of “fake it till you make it.” That person who goes to the gym at 6 am? They might be up that early because they never went to bed in the first place. That girl with her face perfectly beat for her 8 am? Well, maybe she DOES have everything figured out. But most people don’t. Seriously. That’s! the! whole! POINT!
3. Being undecided. It’s so, so, so, SO totally fine to be undecided during your freshman (hell, even sophomore) year. But if you’re anything like me, even the slightest bit of uncertainty will completely torment you. But in all honesty, no one REALLY knows what they want to do, so really you’re at an advantage for not completely committing yourself to something you may end up not loving.  Take your first year to get a feel for everything you’re curious about,  and just r e l a x. After that, you’ll have a better idea of how you want to go about selecting a major by the end of sophomore year. There’s a reason you have two years to declare! You’ll be glad you didn’t box yourself in before even setting foot on campus.
4. Realizing you actually hate what you thought you wanted to study. Even if you ARE “decided,” you might take an intro class and realize you absolutely, positively cannot see yourself studying this for four years. What I’m getting at here is no one knows what they REALLY want to do. Freshman year is a test run; you can forgo any classes relating to your major until second semester, and be completely on track to study abroad, graduate in four years, etc., etc., etc.
5. Feeling like you don’t have a “person” on campus. The friends you meet during NSOP can be great, but other times, they may not feel like the best longterm match for you. That said, it’s okay not to have a tight-knit group of friends right off the bat; for my entire first semester, I brought all of my personal problems to the lovely peer eds in Well Woman. Once you have your bearings and you’ve fallen into a routine, making friends will come much easier. It’s okay to be your own friend for a while, too. And remember: it’s better to be alone than to be around people who make you FEEL alone!
6. Eating alone. See above. Also, eating alone is totally normal in college, but it can be pretty stressful if you aren’t used to it. When you walk into any given dining hall, odds are you’ll see plenty of people quietly studying over lunch. No one is looking at you funny, and no one thinks you’re a loser. And if there aren’t any open tables, there’s nothing wrong with asking someone if a seat is taken.
7. Missing class/an assignment due to personal problems. Life happens, and you deserve time and understanding while getting yourself back on your feet. Most professors are really nice about this sort of thing, so it never hurts to ask for an extension. It’s a good idea to stay on top of this sort of thing to avoid asking for last-minute extensions on papers, however, if something comes up out of the blue, it’s not your fault. Breathe, talk to someone, and get your shit taken care of.
8. Friend/relationship drama. Good news! You aren’t in high school anymore. This means that (for the most part) people aren’t petty for no reason, they don’t spread shitty rumors, or other nasty things of the like. And if someone does any of that, you aren’t inclined to continue hanging out with them. As someone who came from a pretty small, “everyone knows everyone” school, this was a pretty big change for me. Falling outs in college don’t mean the typical side-picking you may be used to. For the most part, people are far too worried about items one through seven on this list to be petty.

actual footage of me realizing there are no more mozz sticks via Bwog Archives.