College is one of the greatest experiences of my life. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. There are, however, some things I wish I knew before I started my adventure.
1. Rules Get Broken… ALL THE TIME
If you live in a dorm like I did, then you will become quite familiar with a little thing called “quiet hours.” You will also become quite familiar with the fact that this ONE and ONLY rule that 95% of dorms have always gets broken. And I mean always, and there is really nothing you can do about it. There will always be that one person who slams the door at 1am halfway down the hall and still manages to wake you up from a dead sleep.
2. Greek Life Is EXPENSIVE!
And not like the $25 dues you had to pay for high school clubs. We are talking hundreds of dollars each year to say you are Greek. I went into college with all the intentions of joining a sorority and getting that “full college experience.” I came away from the first info session completely discouraged because I knew there was no way I could afford the $500+ new member fees and the $300+ fees every year after that. I contacted the other sororities on campus, but their prices were no better. That’s when I decided that Greek Life probably wasn’t for me, and that’s okay too.
3. There IS A Club for Everyone.
If your college is like mine, they will stress the importance of attending every involvement fair and joining as many clubs and activities as you have time for. If you are anything like me, you will oblige, but only for a little while. I tried everything from volunteering on campus to volunteering off campus, joining groups that met once a week, once a month, things that had to do with my major, things I liked as hobbies, but nothing sparked any interest in me. That’s when an opportunity came knocking on my door Spring semester. I got the chance of a lifetime to write for the Odyssey chapter that was just starting up at my school. Of course I joined, and it’s by far the best decision I’ve made. So, if you are having trouble finding that one club that is just right for you, hold out a little longer, it’s out there, I promise.
4. It’s Okay to Be Homesick
Whether you go to school in another country or 20 minutes away, everyone gets homesick now and again. Don’t be surprised if you walk into your room at 10 PM and see one of your roommates bawling. Be their shoulder to cry on. And don’t be surprised one night if that roommate ends up being you. It’s okay to let your roommates see you cry and use their shoulder when you’re missing home too.
5. You Will Get Sick of the Cafeteria Food
It doesn’t matter how many different cafes your school has, or how many different options there are for sandwiches, you will get sick of the same old Sodexo food eventually. That is why it really is a good idea to invest in a mini fridge and keep it stocked with a few frozen meals. Also keep a few local delivery menus on hand for those days when you absolutely can’t handle any more school food.
6. Snacks Are Your BFF
If you have back to back classes like I do, prepackaged snacks will be your best friend. Quick things from granola bars to goldfish that you can throw in a zip lock bag are a lifesaver when you are starving and still have two more classes to get through. It also helps you refocus and do better in class because you aren’t paying attention to how hungry you are.
7. NEVER Buy Books from The Bookstore
They are a rip-off. You will buy a $200 textbook from them at the beginning of the semester and by the end of the semester they will try and buy it back for $3.25. TRUE STORY. Shop around online. Type in the ISBN code of the book you are looking for on google. If the ISBN numbers match, it’s the same book and guaranteed to be okay for the course. If you are still unsure, shoot your professor an email. If the book is a “special edition” for your school, find out why. Many times, they make special editions because they don’t teach certain chapters of the original book, so they cut them out of the special edition; and many times, it can end up costing a fortune more for the special edition than for the original, and you end up with less!
8. Waterproof Backpacks Are a Must
This is one thing I really didn’t have to deal with in high school. I was driven by my parents, and when I got my license, I started driving myself to school. I really didn’t have to worry about the $500 worth of textbooks in my bag getting soaked while I made the mad dash from the parking lot to the main entrance of the school. Now that I am walking around a college campus, I need to protect my very expensive laptop and equally as expensive textbooks that I now have to pay for myself. Many of my friends have ruined their $50 lab notebooks because they didn’t have a waterproof backpack - be wise and get one for yourself!
9. Staying Organized Is Hard
It’s a lot harder than it was in high school. The key is to make sure you have a planner. You can’t get through college without one. I have seen tons of people try to use just the syllabuses to keep track of assignments and due dates, and forget to do them because they forgot to check each syllabus. A planner is a great way to combine the 4 or 5 syllabus materials that you will have into one place and keep track of everything.
10. College Isn’t as Hard as You Think It Will Be
I spent my last few weeks of summer agonizing over the syllabuses that were emailed to me from my soon to be professors – before the classes had even started. I saw the long list of assignments and their due dates as well as exam dates and became very overwhelmed. I, as many of my friends learned in the first few weeks, college isn’t that hard. As long as you keep up to date on your work and don’t leave everything until the night before, you will do great.
