1) The laundry room is a war zone
The first time you walked in to discover someone had dumped your still-wet clothes on top of the washing machine, even though you were only a minute late getting there, was the day you realized this is war. It's a race against the clock to get everything done before someone dumps your clothes on that nasty laundry room floor or steals the last open dryer. Friendships only apply outside the laundry room.
2) All beds are not made equal
You put the fluffiest mattress pad at Bed, Bath, and Beyond on your bed, but it still feels like you're sleeping on concrete. You could pt on 18 more but you know it won't make a difference. You knew you were going to miss your old friends, your family, and homemade meals, but you never expected to miss your bed so badly.
3) Friends with cars are the real heroes
Sometimes you just can't be on campus anymore because you're sick of dining hall food or you just need a new pair of boots. Or you have practical adult things to do that require a car. Either way, friends with cars who are willing to give you a ride are blessings.
4) The people on RateMyProfessor weren't kidding
You took reviews online with a grain of salt when you were choosing classes. Sure, some people were just looking for an easy A, but you're here to learn so you'll have no problems. Right? Wrong. Whether it's the professor straight out of graduate school who has no idea what they're doing or the one who just doesn't care, some professors just aren't up to par. Some people on RateMyProfessor are still just whiners, but sometimes they're on to something.
5) Pop quizzes exist and you should be ready
You thought you'd seen the last of pop quizzes? Think again. You had a lot of work to do, so you decided you'd catch up on the reading later. Probably a huge mistake, because you looked at the quiz and realized you had absolutely no idea what any of the answers were, so you just wrote down every word you remember from the last lesson and reading.
6) Halloween is glorious (and a little terrifying)
Yeah, people either make unprovocative things provocative or just wear the funniest thing they can find, but it's still a ton of fun! If you like to party, watching frat boys dressed as food will be a highlight of your night. If you're not about the party scene, running around in costumes, trick-or-treating, and binge watching old Halloween movies is a ton of fun.
7) Dining hall food isn't always good
When you first got to college you thought, "Hey, the food here isn't so bad!" You wondered why everyone always complained about it. But after the first month and one plate too many of crappy pasta, you'd kill for some real food.
8) Classes can blow your mind and you need to share your epiphany with everyone
You were just trying to take this class for fun, and you've learned so much that you just have to share it! Your mind is blown by the things you learn, and you want everyone else to experience it too! From students walking out of Environmental Science classes unable to look at corn the same way to stumbling out of a philosophy class trying to figure out if the world around you is even real, college is more amazing than you ever imagined and everyone needs to know.
9) Never wait until the last minute to do anything
The paper is double spaced, so you were sure it was going to be a breeze. Well, it would be, if you hadn't waited until midnight to start. Around 1 AM you start to realize that you have no idea what on earth you're doing and you're probably not even making sense anymore. But too bad, you procrastinated and now here you are. You're never doing this again (until next week, probably).
10) Your vocabulary gets a makeover
Most of your new friends aren't from the same place that you are, so they use a ton of slang you'd never heard of. Somehow, you started picking up their quirky little words and sayings, and they picked up yours. No one's even going to recognize you when you go back home.
11) You don't need to hit it off with everyone
Let's face it, everyone was desperate during the first week. We all wanted to be best friends with each other, even if we barely knew each other. But fear not, there's no need to be clingy, because your orientation week friends probably won't be your permanent college friends. That's okay, because you'll soon discover your real group of best friends!
12) This is probably the greatest thing to ever happen to you (ever)
It's stressful, it's chaotic, and everyone's off their rockers, but college is the best! You'd built it up in your mind, and you'd never dreamed it would meet all of your expectations and more. You're already dreading graduation, and you're loving every second you're here!
