When you graduated from high school and stepped onto campus for the first time, you surely didn’t expect to grow and change as much as you did and in the ways that you did. It’s the smallest changes that make the biggest impact.
1. You enjoy doing things by yourself.
Going out to the mall or getting lunch used to only happen if you had a companion. But, now you prefer doing those things by yourself. You don’t have to wait or rush to get out and you don’t have to worry about another person. If you want to spend hours pondering in a store, you can. If you want to sit in a Starbucks with your laptop, and then relocate to Chipotle for lunch, and then back to Starbucks, you can. Not only are you the master of your schedule, the alone time is always welcome. College is tiring. Having a while to yourself is appreciated.
2. You are very in tune with your coffee preferences.
If you weren't sure how much cream or sugar you liked in your coffee before, you certainly do now…because your blood is probably coffee by now. Without it, you turn into a monster.
3. You are not above napping in study rooms or in your car. Or, really, anywhere that has relative seclusion.
In high school, napping in your car or in the library was unthinkable. But, if there is an ounce of seclusion and an adequate space, it’s nap appropriate. Sometimes that 15-minute power nap in the middle of the library will be just what you need to make it the rest of the day.
4. Your stress threshold has grown exponentially since high school.
Finals and projects in high school seemed so bad…but you are all too aware that the workload in one college course is probably the same workload as your entire high school career. You’ve become very good at having a pile of work to do but still keeping your cool.
5. You keep a planner and actually use it.
Sure, you may have had a planner in high school And, sure, you may have added a few notes in it. But, the planner you have in college is a monster compared to it. Not only did you pay actual money for it -usually more money than should be necessary, but you wanted a cute one- but you actually use it! Every moment of your days are put in the planner and crossing off your to-do list gives you a great sense of accomplishment. Really, not much feels better than the finality of crossing off each major assignment as they pass.
6. You appreciate a seat in a classroom that can accommodate more than just your pen and a third of your notebook.
Really, desks in college classrooms are the worst. I can barely fit my overprices Starbucks coffee on it, let alone my pile of textbooks, a notebook, a laptop, and my other odds and ends. When you enter a classroom or lecture hall with wide desks or, better yet, entire tables, it makes your heart flutter.
7. Despite the stress, you try to take better care of yourself.
Yeah, you’re probably stressed to the max most of the time. But, you still try to take better care of yourself. You wash your face every night. You put on face masks when you want a little extra self love. You buy hand lotion and hand sanitizer, you do your makeup only when you want to, you nap when you need it and you try to drink enough wanter every day. Because, even on the worst days it’s nice to know that you are still taking time for personal care.
8. Your spending priorities change drastically.
Shopping changes drastically when you go to college. Coffee and food take utmost priority. If it’s between a cute top or the possibility of Panda Express later that week…you won’t even think twice about it. Loungewear or comfortable articles of clothing are above trendy jeans or fitted crop tops. Besides, you never know if you’ll be scouting out a study room for a power nap between classes.
9. Average grades don’t stress you out.
Grades in the B or C range in high school were the end of the world, but in college, it is relatively routine. You are more proud of that B that you really worked for than the list of A’s that you received in high school with little to no work.
10. You feel old pretty much all of the time.
You are growing up. You are paying your own bills, making your own appointments, budgeting and managing your time. You usually are sipping on coffee in your sweats on a Friday night rather than out on the town with your friends. Sure, you can have fun and know how to do it, but you are usually in bed at a reasonable time anyway.
