When I was a senior in high school, my mom and dad held a graduation party. My family and friends were invited to an afternoon of cake, congratulations, embarrassing middle school photos and graduation presents. However, the only thing I really remember getting that day was a piece of advice written in a Hallmark card: "College is just like kindergarten. Don't forget that."
Three semesters of college later, I've realized college students and kindergarteners are EXACTLY alike.
1. College and kindergarten are brand new. On your first day of Kindergarten everything was different. You never had a backpack to carry so many Crayons and glue sticks in. You never had to ask to go to the bathroom or raise your hand to speak. And you never ever had to be alone without your mom. EVER. Well, college is pretty much the same way only 10x scarier. You have never had to move out on your own and live in a new city. You have never had to make your own decisions about classes and professors. And you have never ever had to be alone without your mom. EVER.
2. You miss your mom... a lot. Every Kindergartner has gone through the period of being upset during school because they miss their mommy. In college, crying for your mom or just plain missing her happens more than once a day. If you wake up and remember you have an 8am lab, you miss your mom. If did not get to go out with your friends because you had chemistry homework, you miss your mom. If your nose starts to run, you miss your mom. If you did not like anything that was served in the cafeteria (even in the deli), you miss your mom. In college, you miss your mom more than you do your homework, and that's okay. The only thing that is not okay is when your mom does not answer the phone when you really need her.
3. Crying in Kindergarten and college is completely normal. A crying kiddo is typical, and anything can cue instant waterworks. In college, crying comes in many shapes and sizes. There is the happy cry that comes when you get a good score on a physics test, you finally get your Big/Little, or you laugh so hard during a road trip with your friends. There is the sad cry that happens when you get a bad score on a physics test, hear bad news from a friend, or watch any Nicholas Sparks movie. Then there is everyone's favorite, the stress cry. This only occurs when homework is due at midnight, the night before an exam, when four mandatory meetings start at the same time, and during finals week. The main thing to remember about crying in college is that everyone does it, so let it out.
4. You meet your best friends in Grade K, and again freshman year. Because you did not go through the new world of Kindergarten alone, you were able to bond with tikes just like you. You were more attracted to those who had light up shoes, juice boxes at lunch and let you be the good guy during recess. These became your best friends, and when the moment came to choose a college, you all chose different ones. You then had to start the process of finding your best friends all over again. Maybe they were in your afternoon lecture, the same organizations, or lived on the same floor. However you met them, your college friends became the pieces in your life that you never knew you needed.
5. Those of the opposite sex are still weird. In Kindergarten, you probably earned your first kiss on a triple dog dare. Since that moment, you were confused whether boys and girls really did have cooties. They chased you on the playground and you were reassured that it was only because they really liked you and when they got older they would realize it. WRONG. I don't know where we missed the memo on relationships but college did not help. Boys and girls are still weird around each other. We now base how someone feels about us on if they like our selfie on Instagram or if they text us first. Honestly, relationships in college have not changed since the good ole days.
6. Naps are the most important part of the day. Think back to the days when your Kindergarten teacher would put on some soft music, turn off the lights and you would lie down on your KinderMat with your favorite blanky. Nap time was the highlight of your day. In college, nothing has changed. You look forward to the time you get to catch some Z's. Sometimes you even move your schedule around so you can squeeze in an afternoon snooze session. It doesn't matter where you are for nap time. You could be in your dorm, on a couch in the library or laying in the floor somewhere and still take the best nap of your life. College naps also can range from 10 minutes to 10 hours and you will still feel well rested. Have you ever heard a college student wake up from a nap and say "oh man, that was awful?" I didn't think so.
7. Snack time is equally as exciting now as it was then.Snack time was the 30 minutes of Kindergarten where your little bellies were filled with sugar and juice and you were sent home. College snack time, however, can happen at the most random moments. Because some class schedules interfere with lunchtime, snacks are always a go-to to keep you alive. The best kinds of snacks in college are free snacks. Nothing makes a college student or a Kindergartner more happy than a little something to munch on, especially some fruit snacks and Capri Suns.
8. Arts and crafts still happen. There was nothing like making some genuine macaroni art or superb finger paintings in Kindergarten to hang on the refrigerator at home. In college, when you do have time, crafting is everyone's favorite past time. Whether it's painting your favorite One Tree Hill quote onto a canvas, decorating t-shirts for an upcoming event, or painting a cooler for formal, the inner kid inside of us comes out and is able to create something that we will cherish just like our moms did.
9. No money then, no money now. Kindergartner's were the easiest bait for school fundraisers. Just sell anything from suckers to gum to pencil toppers and you will have any small child giving you their parent's money. College is the exact same. From t-shirt sales (Yes, you have to pay the few extra dollars to get Comfort Colors with the front pocket), eating out and spur of the moment concert tickets, college students get sucked into a world of shiny new things that we have to have. You then have to bite the bullet, just like you did when you were little, and ask your parents for money. For my bank account's sake, I hope we will grow out of this phase.
10. Kindergarten and college are super fun! From playing freeze tag in P.E. to now exploring new places with new friends, the newest and somewhat scariest times of your life are also the most fun. No matter if the school bully or midterms get you down, remember to give yourself time to run and play and be carefree. Do not forget to be a kid sometimes and remember that life is one big sandbox. "College is just like kindergarten. Don't forget that."
