Another summer come and gone, and another August knocking down our doors. The fall semester is finally upon us. The beginning of school is met with different reactions from all college students — some eagerly anticipate going back to class while others dread it.

But the start of a new semester means a new start for everyone pursuing a degree.

If you’re a first-time college student, you’ve got a lot to figure out and a lot of new things to experience. If you’re a returning college student, there’s bound to be a lot that you have learned — you probably know by now that each day spent in a college classroom can throw something new and unexpected at you.

First-time student or returning academic veteran, there’s something all OCCC students have in common: For whatever reason, we’ve all made the decision to commit to pursuing a college education.

The decision to attend college is a big deal in and of itself.

College is costly. Between tuition and textbooks and all of the other odds and ends that we end up needing for classes, an education doesn’t come cheap.

It’s safe to say the things you do in college will have a huge impact on your future. Now is the time when the decisions made at school will greatly influence what you do once you have a degree.

College isn’t anything like high school, or any education you may have experienced prior to entering an institute of higher learning. The state doesn’t make you come to college — there are no report cards to keep you in check, no notes from the teacher that go home to your mom and dad. No one is going to hold your hand and walk you through college. You have to have the drive and take the initiative to decide you’re going to do well all on your own.

You’re making the decision, as a responsible adult, to enroll in classes and you should have some regard for what that means.

It means you’re sacrificing time and money (and your social life, no doubt), to better yourself. Take that seriously. If you’re going to make the commitment of going to college, then do it with everything in you — a half-hearted attempt won’t get you anywhere. Prioritize while you’re in college and make your school commitments the most important commitments you have.

The success or failure you experience while in college is solely dependent on you.