It's past mid-semester, and the weeks go by faster and the work gets heavier. Keep an eye on it because papers, reading, research and club commitments can creep up on you. You end up having to make sacrifices in order to maintain sanity, usually surrendering things like laundry, dishes and showering. But it is vital, perhaps literally, that you don't neglect hygiene and cleanliness. You are sardined into small rooms with six other shedding, eating, young college kids, and let me tell you, that smell can add up quickly. Especially in the winter months when it's too cold to open any windows, and the heat is recooking the pasta sauce on the floor. Forget to take out the trash and the rats will come (no joke).

Living in college dorms has really made me realize how miraculous mothers and fathers are. They have jobs and keep the house clean. Must be some secret they tell you after you finish school, because it is not easy. The good thing is that with a little effort and maybe five minutes less Facebook time, the dishes can get washed. Put on your guilty-pleasure Brittany Spears and clean, baby clean — you might even have fun.

It is nearly unbelievable that I have been in college not even a full semester and already I feel like an expert in the subjects of my classes. Yes, obviously we learn in school, but it truly is amazing how much we can learn in such a short amount of time. I decided in the beginning of the year, like some kind of lunatic, to take a class in a subject of which I had absolutely no knowledge. Crazy, right? My advice: Do it. By throwing yourself out there, you end up learning about a whole other side of yourself and the world that would not have been available if you hadn't taken the leap. College is all about risks, not only socially, but academically. I have been dancing all my life and love to write, but when I had to sign up for International Law, I was taking a wild shot in the dark. On top of an already extremely new situation, I chose to tackle the unknown in my studies as well. I thought I would be a goner for sure.

Half way through the semester, I am now a law lunatic. I can't wait to crack open the next chapter for homework and have even started reading The New York Times just to keep up with politics. I find lawyer tactics creeping into my everyday logic, and reminiscing about lectures when I hear normal words like "facts" and "argument." The course is very challenging, but in a way the daring energy of the unknown allures me and makes the work more interesting because it is brand new.

Everyone assumes you have to have a plan in college. These are lies, all lies. It doesn't necessarily hurt to know what you like, but don't knock what you haven't tried. You make your plan when you're here, and half the fun is sketching it out only to erase some of the lines and go in a totally new direction.

So keep up with your work, even if it means skipping a party to spend your Friday night in a nearly empty library reading the daily paper next to an old professor. Who knows — he could be your new favorite teacher.

Jahla Seppanen is a freshman at Sarah Lawrence College. You can reach her at jnm747@hotmail