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Nobody said it would be easy, but you've made it this far: You've passed your SAT with flying colors, you've been accepted to the college you had your sights set on and you're preparing to move on campus and begin your new dorm life and college studies. You're not really concerned about your room, or roommate, but there are still so many things you aren't sure of - what will college life really be like?

There's no doubt about it - the transition to college from high school is an important part of your development and evolution, not only in the context of your continued education, but also in your growth as a person. Beyond the obvious physical adjustments, there are many relevant factors that haven't presented themselves to you yet and this can be a source of anxiety for some. Fear not, most all new students face intense stress in the first few months of college during the adjustment period - it's common, typical and completely normal. Settling in is important because it will be much different than living at home with your family.

Spend your time during the summer break before you start college to read all of the materials your new school has been sending you. You will find, if you do this, that having an understanding and familiarity before you even get there is a big, big plus! Besides course outlines, you'll likely be bombarded with information about the campus, rules, regulations, extracurricular activities, etc. These things are all sent to you for the purpose of helping you prepare, so use them as they were intended and read them. Learn where your dorm is, where local transportation is located, where the campus athletics center is, where health services are located, etc. Whatever is important to you - find out about it beforehand.

One of the biggest things that makes college (initially, at least) feel so overwhelming is the simple lack of familiarity you have with the campus. Map out your favorite or most traveled locations around campus beforehand during the summer. This is a very simple thing to do but the amount of stress and anxiety it alleviates is untold . You'll be confident instead of overwhelmed during first week of classes; no getting lost or showing up late since you'll already have a handle on where you need to be and how to get there.

Another simple thing you can do to supplement the pre-mapping of campus is to find the email and phone numbers for any student services you'll need or use frequently. Once you have them enter the information into your computer, smartphone or simply write them down and put them in your wallet or purse. Does the college have any social networking sites you can join ahead of time? If so, join them as soon as you can as they are yet another outlet for valuable information as well as a way of networking and making new friends.

And speaking of social networking, you'll likely see all sorts of welcoming activities planned and they'll be advertised heavily - orientations, meet and greets, and of course - parties! While you of course cannot attend every event that you find out about, you can choose which ones will be the most informative, which ones will assist in your acclimation to college and which ones look like they'd be the most fun for meeting people! Also, as far as meeting new people goes just remember - everyone you'll meet will have things in common with you: you're all new students and living away from home for the first time. When everyone is basically on equal footing it makes socializing much easier and a lot more fun; no need to be nervous or intimidated.

Commit yourself early and learn all the what's, where's, when's and how's of your new home. You'll feel right at home at your new college in no time at all.