Your whole summer has been leading up to this, and it’s finally here! It’s time to finally make the jump from high school to college – a very scary time for anyone.

Luckily, you’ve got your friends at University Chic who have been there, done that and can give you advice.

For some of you, making the transition to dorm life is going to be a hassle. There’s no way around that. But this pressure is even more intense if you’re on a co-ed dorm hall.

If you’re nervous about this, think of it this way – this just gives you the opportunity to make even more friends. Girls can be super catty, and having some testosterone around can balance it out. Trust me, you will appreciate being able to go visit your guy friends down the hall and play Xbox for an hour or two when your roommate is getting on your nerves.

So, living on a co-ed hall is great for making friends, but if you’re like me, I was more concerned with my looks than I would have been if I was living in an all-girl dorm. I felt like I definitely put more into my appearance than I would have in high school because I was living around guys that weren’t my little brother 24/7.

But there was a major flaw in my primping plan – I was on my university’s dance team my freshman year. While all the other girls on my floor could consistently look cute, I had a week filled with two-a-day (and sometimes three-a-day) practices. Let me tell you, being outside and practicing in 100-degree weather wasn’t pretty. How on earth was I going to make friends (especially guy ones) if I was always dripping in sweat?

Turns out, that didn’t even matter. I made some of my best friends on my freshman hall – my current best guy friend is one of them – with and without makeup on. If someone really cares about how you look without eyeliner, then they are probably not worth your time.

Oh, and by the way, since this is pertinent to the whole co-ed living thing, try your best not to get romantically involved with anyone on your hall. No matter how much you like him, it will be awful to be around if something goes wrong. Since you’ll already be stressed out about classes and making friends, you don’t want to add this extra awkwardness in your life. It’s definitely hard not to do, but try your best.

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