The summer after senior year is a time I remember well. I was beyond nervous but also incredibly excited for college. As a planner, I wanted to know everything there was to know about college life. I sought advice from all the friends I had who were already in college (not many) and got a lot of advice from those whose college days were long over (I'm looking at you, parents).
Most of the advice I got was pretty consistent across the board. However, as I finish up my freshman year of college, I'm realizing that there are a lot of things that no one warned me of.
1. Walmart is a major lifesaver.
Before college, I thought Walmart was kind of gross. Now I see the error of my ways. Walmart has literally anything you could ever want, and it's ridiculously cheap. I do all my "grocery shopping" there (see: buying Poptarts and Veggie Straws), so I basically go there every week. And I have absolutely no regrets.
2. So are those random restaurants around campus with ridiculously cheap food.
You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that look super sketchy but have ridiculously good, cheap food.
3. Getting attacked by squirrels on the daily.
Squirrels on college campuses are a breed of their own. I guess they're just too comfortable around people because they invade my personal space *way* too much. They're shameless about trying to steal your food. There has even been more than one occasion where one got into our dining hall and refused to leave.
4. Sleeping becomes almost impossible.
Not because you're not tired. Believe me, you're always tired. It's because of the infinite amount of homework in college. If you somehow finish it at a reasonable hour and try to go to bed early, half the time it's so loud in and around the dorms and apartments that you can't sleep. There's a reason why my favorite proverb is "You don't go to bed in college; some naps are simply longer than others".
5. Privacy basically goes out the window.
One word: community bathrooms.
6. And so does alone time.
There are literally people everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Which can be fun or overwhelming, depending on your mood.
7. Getting out of bed to go to class in the winter is actually the worst.
You don't realize how far it is from your dorm to class until it's 20 degrees out there. Between the months of October and March, I couldn't physically leave my room without putting on at least six layers of clothing.
8. And same goes for the dining hall.
But, like, food. College has a way of making people real good at hoarding food in their rooms. Or eating Cheez-Its for dinner.
9. How important it is to learn to say no.
Not just to drugs. College is all about time management, and sometimes you just can't do everything at once. Sometimes you have to give up hanging out with your friends to study, but balance is key. Will skipping a homework assignment or two really kill you?
10. How much crying actually happens.
Multiple times a week, definitely. You just kind of get used to seeing people cry around campus. College is a (relatively) judge-free zone.
11. But enough laughing happens to balance it out.
Sure, sometimes it's laughing out of pain, but sometimes it's laughing out of joy! And friendship! And love of life! College is hard, stressful, and is known to induce mental breakdowns. But still, remembering how lucky you are to be in college and making friends that will last a lifetime will surely help to ease some of the emotional pain that college brings.
