Four years doesn't seem like a long time, but most of us go through immense changes from our freshman to senior year of college. All you have to do is look back at those embarrassing freshman pictures to remind yourself that it wasn't so long ago when you were trying to navigate the new world of college. There are many things you learn from one year to the next, but here are some we can all relate to...
1. Lock away your valuables.
I think most of us quickly learned not to leave the door to our room unlocked or to leave our wallet laying around when we went to the bathroom. Things are bound to get stolen, and sometimes, there is nothing you can do about it, especially as a freshman when a lot of people have access to your room. Cash can also be your worst and best friend. If you ever leave that laying around you might as well say goodbye to it. But then again, you also might find a dollar or two laying on the ground in the dining hall.
2. Where the best bathrooms in every building are.
When you have to go, but when there are 12 other girls in the same bathroom as you, it can be extremely embarrassing. By your senior year, you have it down to a science! At this point you know what bathrooms have the least people and you know never to try and go during a transitional time period between classes.
3. How to drink.
Some may never learn this skill, but others master it. Learning how to drink is no joke. As a freshman, you might think that you can down an entire bottle of Smirnoff in one night, but you are wrong. Hopefully by the time you are a senior you have master how to black out and still wake up in your bed safe and sound.
4. Registering for classes isn't always a disaster.
As a freshman, you get no classes that you want unless you come in with a massive amount of credits. You have the worst professors, and you don't think it could get any worse. Then, the magical Ratemyprofessor.com comes into your life. The reviews aren't always accurate, but it will help you steer clear of the nutty and insane professors who fail most of the class. By your senior year, you hopefully get every class you need to graduate, if not, maybe next time.
5. Changing your major is OK!
You might graduate high school wanting to be a physician. But then, you get to college, you walk into your first chemistry class, and realize that you were dead wrong. You might change your major a couple of times trying to find the right fit for you, and that's okay. We don't all know what we want to do straight out of school, and that doesn't make us any less prepared than others who do. We just might need to discover ourselves in a different way.
6. Where and what to eat.
You might be used to home-cooked meals when you arrive to college, but that won't last long. Soon you'll be surviving on Ramen and dining passes. By the end of your four years, you will have learned the cheapest and most filling places to eat around your campus. Learning to live off of $20 a week for food is a valuable life lesson that I guarantee you won't forget.
7. How to be professional.
You might slip up a time or two and have a beer in the background of your profile picture, but by the time you're a senior, you learn that can make a difference in you getting a job. Your entire wardrobe can change depending on your major. You'll start acquiring more dress pants than crop tops, and less flip-flops and more sensible heels. As a freshman, you wouldn't be able to ever imagine making yourself on LinkedIn, but the time will come when you need to connect with people that can help you in your next life transition.
8. You miss your family and your home more than you thought you ever would.
The little things that used to annoy you about your hometown or your parents suddenly are the things that you look forward to most when you go home. You also seem to get along with your parents and your siblings more, because you see them a lot less and you have so much less to fight about. You mostly realize you miss the love, the smell of a home-cooked meal, and people who are always excited to see you and talk to you about life.
9. You learn a lot about yourself.
The transition that you undergo from freshman to senior year of college is anything but small. The way you look is different; the way you talk is different; and even the way you think has changed. You have experienced so much, and these new experiences have made you a more complex person. College and the experiences it gives you make you even more unique and can give you many new perspectives. There is no other place like college, and there may also be no other place where you learn so much about yourself and the world around you.
10. You learn how fast it goes.
Four years goes by in a blink. Don't rush through it. Take everything in stride, because it's over before you know it. The real world is scary, but college is the time of your life so go out and have fun. But, don't forget to study for that bio test too. Your GPA does really matter in the end, so don't bullshit the Gen Ed classes; they're your easy As. Take time for yourself. Go for a run, get an expensive Starbucks coffee every once in a while, because the luxury of college is over before you know it. Stay up late and wake up too early, because you have a lot of living to do while you're here.
