It has only been a month of
college and there are so many things I wish I had known before move in. The fact
that I am a freshman, from out-of-state, and I don't have my parents here to
help me make my decisions makes things hard. As an adult, whose parents are 700 miles away,
I have to learn things the hard way. College is definitely an interesting and
entertaining experience. Here are some things I learned in my first month here.
1. College is not all about parties.
You are in college to receive an education and have fun. Having fun, however; is not all about parties. College is supposed to be the best four years of your life. Yes, you can party and still be a good student, but that’s not what your parents are paying thousands of dollars a year for. College is the place where you create friendships that will last for the rest of your life and memories you will cherish forever. If you spend every weekend of the next four years partying, you will definitely regret it later in life. When you talk about college after you graduate you will want to remember late night runs to Steak ‘n Shake and weekly trips to Walmart; not how many games of beer pong you won in a night. College is the place you go to start the rest of your life, you don’t want to waste these four years partying all the time.
2. You don't have to party/drink to have fun.
Going along with number one, college is not all about parties. Parties are fun, but you don’t have to party or drink to have fun. It IS possible to have fun without having alcohol present. When you say the word party most people think alcohol and beer pong; when I say party I think a movie night and pizza. People do have different opinions and different ways of having fun. I'm not saying that you can’t drink; what I am saying is that you don’t have to drink to have fun. Fun is so much more than drinking alcohol; fun is being with friends and being happy. College is a new experience and not having parents around is great, but you have to make the most of it while you can. Having fun can be doing anything from: late night Starbucks runs, having study groups, watching Disney movies, or eating ramen and chicken tenders at 11 o’clock at night. I am not totally against partying, and I'm not totally for partying; I am just saying that it is possible to have fun without the presence of alcohol.
3. Don't spend all your free time in your dorm.
You are at college! Your parents aren’t there telling you what you can and can’t do. You are probably hundreds of miles away from your family and you probably really miss them. That’s okay, but if you sit in your room all the time you are going to miss out on a lot. Your family wants you to enjoy your time at college. Would they want you sitting in your room at home all the time? Probably not. It is totally okay for you to spend time in your room. However; college is the best time of your life. So get out of bed and go discover new things to do on campus and make lots of new friends.
4. You don't have to do everything with your roommate.
Your roommate is either your best friend, friend, or least favorite person while in college. I have an amazing roommate whom I consider one of my best friends here on campus. Even though we are roommates and best friends, we don’t spend every waking moment together, which is why I think we are great roommates. We both respect the fact that we have other friends; when we do hang out we always enjoy spending time together and value our friendship more. There isn’t anything wrong with being best friends and doing everything together. There also isn’t anything wrong with just living together and not being super close. Just know that even though you’re living together, you are not required to be best friends. Just be happy.
5. It is okay to not know what your major is.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 80% of college students end up changing their majors at least once and on average they change their majors three times. You don’t have to know what you want to do with your life. Just because other people know what they want to do in life, doesn’t mean you have to know. I am currently a freshman and I have a tentative double major in business administration and accounting. The odds of me changing my major between now and the end of my sophomore year, when I am supposed to declare my major, are pretty high. Do I know what I want to do with my life? Absolutely not. That’s okay. I chose business and accounting because I know I can advance in my career, it will give me a lot of opportunities, and I will make money. Are those the best reasons to choose your major? Probably not. I love art and traveling; for all I know I may become an art major. I am just living my life and taking classes. Whatever major I choose I know I will have my parents there to support me. Choose your major based on what YOU love to do, whatever you choose will be amazing because it’s what you chose.
6. You will need more things for your dorm than you thought (decor & organization).
If I could go back in time and repack for move in day I would. When you are packing definitely pack more than you think you need. It is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I have a much bigger room at home and was told that my dorm would be much smaller, so I didn’t pack a lot. I regret that decision. I brought all my clothes/shoes because I love them all and couldn’t bear to part with them. I didn’t bring a lot of organization things, which is definitely something you will need. You are sharing a small space with someone else, you will need/want to make the most of the space you have. When it comes to décor, you may not be able to put holes in the walls, but command strips are amazing things. Decorations make your dorm seem more homey and look better. Whether you hang posters or pictures, you will definitely be happier when you look at the things you’ve hung up. I hung up multiple monogram canvas paintings (because I am obsessed with my monogram), a poster or two, and a lot of pictures. Little things go a long way. Make the most of your space/decorations in your room, it’s your home for the next year, make it feel like it.
7. Use your meal swipes/points wisely.
Your freshman year you will usually be put on the largest meal plan since you are required to live on campus. My meal plan consists of six swipes/week at the cafeteria and 55 points/week to use at the other food places on campus. It took a couple weeks to figure out how many points and swipes to use each day, but once I figured it out, life is so much easier. My swipes reset each week so I use them on days I only have one class. The points roll over each week so I have more and more each week to use. In the beginning I used a lot of points, but since they roll over I don’t have to worry too much. Just because you have a lot of points after a few weeks, doesn’t mean you should spend them all. Save them for later in the semester or for finals week when you don’t have enough time to eat in the cafeteria. Manage your swipes and points wisely, you’ll thank yourself later.
8. Make time for sleep. It's important!
College is full of homework and parties, which means little sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep you will get sick and it will make your days terrible. There isn’t much else to say, but college is fun and sleep is important. Make sure you get enough of it.
9. Be open to joining a sorority/fraternity.
Even though you think you aren’t that type of girl or guy who is into Greek life, definitely be open minded about going through recruitment. Even if you don’t join, going through recruitment is a great way to meet people. You may find that you really connect with the members and their philanthropies. It could be one of the best decisions of your life and you will make a lot of new friends throughout the process.
10. Do your homework!
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Even though college is a lot of fun, just remember that you are here to further your education. Doing your homework and turning it in on time would be a wise decision.
