In high school, I remember constantly hearing from alumni how well Singapore American School would prepare me for college. And in many ways, I think that’s rung true—the range and rigor of high-level courses, the leadership opportunities available through extracurriculars, and the multiculturalism of the student body at SAS—all equipped me for the transition to college in ways that I’m incredibly thankful for.

However, that doesn’t mean my transition to college was smooth or seamless. The first few months on campus, I made mistakes—constantly. I learned and grew more in a single semester than I ever thought possible, and even now, despite being a junior, I continue to be surprised by how much I don’t know about how college works.

I think there’s a lot to be said about learning from experience. However, there are some things that I wish people had told me before I arrived on campus—I want to share just a few of them here. These are far from comprehensive, but hopefully they resonate with you and get you thinking about what you hope to learn and experience in college.

1. There are so many opportunities available to you in college. But, they won’t be handed to you.
Universities are full of people, classes, and activities that cover a wildly diverse and niche set of interests, but sometimes the craziest and coolest opportunities won’t be advertised. You’ll have to go looking for them! My favorite example of this is when, after studying Chinese at SAS for three years, I decided I was ready to try something different freshman year. I wanted to fulfil my language requirement by learning Thai, but I couldn’t find information about a Thai language department at Harvard anywhere. Thus began a wild goose chase, with the help of my academic advisor, to find out whether Thai classes existed. As it turns out, the university is committed to teaching any language that students are interested in, and three years later I’m still studying Thai. My class is only two people, but we get to design our own syllabus every semester; learning Thai has also led me to an on-campus job at the Thai Studies Center, as well as writing my senior thesis on NGOs in Thailand. These classes weren’t advertised anywhere, but have been an integral part of my college experience.

2. People at college will want to get to know you if you want to get to know them!
At the same time, you don’t need to compromise or change who you are to make the most out of college.

In high school, social groups can be rigid and constraining. And in a totally new environment, putting yourself out there can seem incredibly intimidating—particularly if you’re surrounded by accomplished faculty and peers, and are feeling like you don’t measure up (also known as “imposter syndrome”). However, what I quickly realized is that everyone feels the same way, and that if you show genuine interest in people, nine times out of 10 they’ll reciprocate. Everyone has an incredible story that led them to that specific college, and no matter how different from you they may seem, that story is worth hearing. Some of my closest friends at college are people who I have almost nothing in common with, or who I just happened to bump into in the dining hall or bathroom—spontaneous conversations can often be the best ones! It’s also important not to underestimate yourself and your own story. There’s no need to embellish yourself or mold yourself into someone you aren’t when you enter college; you got there by being you, and that will continue to be more than enough.

3. College will expose you to completely different types of diversity than what you’ve experienced in high school. Embrace it, and be humble.
SAS is, in many ways, a bubble. It’s true that we’ve grown up having friends with passports from dozens of different countries, and experiencing a myriad of cultures through travel—this is certainly one axis of diversity, and an important one. However, we’ve also grown up immensely privileged, in a socioeconomically homogenous environment. At college, you’ll encounter people with a much broader set of life experiences, and it’s important not to project your assumptions about certain identities or backgrounds. Be humble, recognizing your own privilege and the perspective that has given you, while being sure to listen to what others have to share. It’s easy to judge someone who has never been overseas, for example, for thinking Singapore is part of China or for asking you how you can speak English so well. But we all have our own prejudices, and challenging and un-learning them is one of the best—but most painful—parts of college.