It's officially fall, and that means tried-and-true New Yorkers welcome thousands upon thousands of rookies onto its streets and subway. For the very. First. Time. 

So welcome to New York City, rookies. Whether you're here for school, work, or play, you have a lot to learn. So listen up. 

We don't know exactly what you've heard about the subway, but chances are you're familiar with the fact that we use it to get everywhere. 

NYC is crowded, busy, overwhelming and often difficult, but the feeling of success once you actually conquer this city is an unprecedented feeling of competence. 

This begins with the subway. So you ready for your first subway trip or nah? 

Here's what you need to know. 

You will get lost, and you will get lost badly. More than once. Like we said, that'll make it even more worthwhile when you finally do master the NYC subway. 

Now without further ado, here are 6 thoughts every NYC newbie has while lost in the subway system. 

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1. "I can do this... I think."

You're new to NYC, and you considered taking a cab. Then, you were overwhelmed with the confidence only a New Yorker could have. Nice work, you already accomplished step one of being an official New Yorker: be extremely confident. 

Here's a tip for maneuvering the NYC streets: look really angry and in a rush all the time. Then no one will bother you.

Anyway, you could have taken a cab to your destination but that would have been out of your nature. 

Because you're about to become a tough New Yorker, and the first step is making the subway your b*tch.

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2. "So exactly what ticket do I buy?" 

You're surprised about the price of a single ride on the subway. $3 seems pretty pricy to you, especially because you were told the subway would be cheap. 

You don't know whether you should buy a $20 pass, a weekly pass, or a single ride pass, because you haven't yet taken the time to calculate exactly which option is most economically feasible to your situation. 

Here's a good hint for you: if you plan on taking the subway twice a day or more, the unlimited weekly/monthly option is definitely the one for you. 

Don't buy the $10 or $20 options because MTA specifically finagles their prices so you'll wind up with an infuriating $1.50-ish left on your MetroCard, which isn't enough for a ride on the subway. 

But it is enough to feel like you wasted your money... ugh. 

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3. "So exactly which train do I take?"

As a new subway rider, it's really tempting in this stage to say whatever, and then get on the next train that comes. 

Do not do that. We repeat, do not do that. 

The subway may seem extremely straightforward to you now, and that's only because it's so endlessly complicated that you don't yet understand it. 

The most important thing here is to take an uptown train if you want to go uptown and a downtown train if you want to go downtown. 

No, you will never get over how big NYC is nor will you get over how many people live here. It's astoundingly big and there are an astounding number of people living here. But it's not just about going uptown and downtown, it's about heading east or west, heading to the Bronx or Brooklyn. 

You can't just blindly get on an uptown E train and hope to wind up on the Upper East Side because you won't, you'll wind up in Queens and then you'll be just as panicked as ever.

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4. "FML..."

You didn't listen, did you? 

You decided what the hell, and got on the first uptown train that came because you didn't feel like waiting. The good news is that most newbies have done exactly what you just did, and the bad news is that you're kind of screwed. 

It takes a couple stops for you to figure out that you have absolutely no idea where this train is going, nor where you should get off, and a couple more stops of all out, raw, vein ripping panic for you to gather up the wherewithal to be that tourist and finally ask someone for directions. 

What you don't expect is how friendly everyone on the train is when you ask for directions. Three or four kind souls have banded together on the train to figure out how to get you from this train's next stop to your destination, and you're pretty flabbergasted. 

You were told New Yorkers would not be nice, and these people are definitely nice. So, apparently what everyone told you was wrong.

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5. "I should switch trains..." 

Somehow, you not only got on a downtown train when you meant to go uptown, but you also wound up on the east side when you need to get to the west side. 

The kind woman who gave you directions on the last train wrote them down, and you almost cried because of how kind she was. 

With shaking, sweaty hands, which are shaking and sweating so much that you basically crumple the piece of paper you're holding, you manage to make the two train switches that finally get you headed where you need to be. 

The relief that floods you when you see your stop lit up on the top of the train is immense.

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6. "I did it!"

This is nothing compared with the euphoria and confidence you feel when the train actually squeals up at the stop you need to get off at. 

You did it, you survived your first subway trip. 

Now you're only forty-five minutes late for your meeting with the shady broker to find your new apartment. (Hint: try this app instead.) 

Whatever. It's New York. Everybody's late, right?

Check out the 9 Worst Subway Experiences You’ll Ever Have in NYC.