In my experience , the hardest part of college is the adjustment period . Even if you were top of your class in high school , college kicks your ass a little bit . The biggest piece of advice I have is to put yourself first , and GPA maybe third or fourth . Zoology and Ecology sound awesome , and I hope you have a great time with them ! At my university , the outdoorsy labs tend to come sophomore and junior year , but if you ' re worried about it , you can talk to your advisor and figure out what degree will get you outside . And guess what ? You made it through the first year ! Lots of people don ' t get that far , but you stuck with it , you strong person , you . And guess what else ? If you ever decide that college isn ' t your jam , you don ' t have to stick to it . You can take a year off to chill out , or you could find a different path . The world is completely open ! Also , you are a super cute human with really pretty eyes holy cow , and excellent taste in shirts .