If you are like me, an incoming college freshman, then college might just be stressing you out before you even set foot on campus for the semester. It is not that college life is particularly hard at this moment. It is just a brand new experience and I don't know what's going on half the time. Here are some of my most noteworthy stressed-out moments.
1. Trying to find the right items you need.
Today, all I wanted to find was an alarm clock. I thought I found my perfect one. Then I realized that you can only see the time on it if you press the button to light it up. There are just so many different types of things that it takes forever to find the thing you want or need.
2. Looking at my friends' Snapchat stories of all of their college things already packed.
It seems like every day I see another Snapchat story about one of my high school friends showing off all of their college things. There's crates, pillows, clothes, bags, boxes and other packages full of all of the "college necessitities" you are supposed to get before move-in day.
3. Going into stores and seeing huge displays of "college necessities."
Surely you have seen one of these displays by now. They are everywhere! Target, Walmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond seem to be the major causes of this particular stress. It seems everyday I'm getting an email or seeing an ad about college savings and back-to-school shopping.
4. How fast summer goes by.
Seriously, it goes by super fast. It seems like just last week I had 70 days and now I'm down to just 15 days until I move into my freshmen dorm. I don't even know what I did for most of this summer besides work, Netflix, sleep and eat.
5. Some of my friends are already at college, some of my friends already have all of their stuff packed and then there's me.
I'm pretty much the last person in my friend group to be heading off to college. I don't have to report until the first Saturday in September, when some of my friends have been at college since the beginning of August. So, I have been putting off getting ready for college. Now it's really starting to stress me out when I look at my friends' dorm rooms and their packages of college stuff sitting by their front door. I have a list and a crate full of things I already bought -- that's it.
6. Hearing adults say, "Your college is so lucky to have you."
What if they are not lucky to have me? What if they don't really need a person like me on campus? I know, this is probably an unrealistic fear and I don't need to stress over it. But I still stress over this. I had such a defined role in my school and I don't know what my role is going to be in college.
7. Being expected to rattle off my college, majors and future career when asked by random people.
Look, I just met you and I know you are just trying to create some small talk, but seriously? I have been asked these questions so many times since the end of my junior year. I could probably rattle these answers off in my sleep, but I still hate answering them. Ask me about my favorite animal or color instead.
8. Running into your senior year teachers and having them introduce you as their former student.
That is right. You are done. You are never going back to that school and you are never being their student again. Pretty soon, they might tell you to call them by their first name. That's actually stressful and scary. Plus, you might never see these wonderful human beings ever again.
9. Having to say goodbye to all of your family.
These are the people you have lived with for, most likely, your entire life. Now you have to get used to not seeing them every day. This is seriously the worst if you have pets. I'm freaking out over saying goodbye to my dogs. I already know they're going to miss me a whole lot.
10. Having to say goodbye to all of your friends.
As much as you say you will see these people again, you might never see these people again. It's stressful trying to plan the last time you'll see them and figure out what to say to sum-up your entire relationship.
11. Introducing yourself as a college freshman.
Just the phrase, "I'm a college freshman," sends shivers down my spine. It brings up all of the things I'm already stressed out about. This phrase might just be the biggest stress-inducer in my life right now.