As I hear all of my friends who recently graduated from high school talk about how excited they are for college, I think to myself, "Oh, they have no idea what they're in for." College is fun, don't get me wrong, but it's also very stressful. Regardless of what college or university you attend, we all face the same day-to-day struggles.
1. Trying to balance a social life with homework/studying.
You constantly face the difficult decision of whether you should go have fun with your friends or start studying for that exam or start writing that paper. Sometimes you make the right decision; sometimes you make the wrong one. If only you could be in two places at once!
2. Your sleep schedule is WAY too messed up.
There's not nearly enough hours in the day to get a normal amount of sleep and do schoolwork. Therefore, you're always exhausted from the lack of sleep. The weeks of midterms and finals means pulling nearly all-nighters (maybe even actual all-nighters). But "sleep is for the weak," right?
3. The ultimate struggle of having an early morning class.
Gotta love those 7:50 or 8 a.m. classes...not. Admit it, you think about staying in bed way too often, but you know you unfortunately can't miss class. The only struggle harder than getting yourself out of bed in the morning is managing to stay awake in class.
4. Procrastination is your worst enemy.
We've all done it, especially when it comes to those annoying 1,000-word papers. "I'll start this paper in 10 minutes." Six hours later, you still haven't started it.
5. Stress becomes a daily part of your life.
Whether it's over that long paper you have to write, that major exam you have to study for, or not having the grade you want in a class, you're most likely stressed 24/7. Even when there's not something in particular you're stressing about, you're stressing about all the stress!
8. The financial expenses ($$$).
Going to college is way more expensive nowadays (especially if you go to a private college or university). We spend thousands and thousands of dollars between tuition, dorms, meals, & textbooks. Confirmed: student loan debt is a real thing. Take my soul too, why don't you?!
9. Unpacking when moving in and packing when moving out.
You never realize how much stuff you actually own until you go to unpack or pack it all. Moving your stuff into your dorm? Too much stuff, too little closet space (I know girls--a walk-in closet would be nice). Moving your stuff out of your dorm? Too much stuff, too little space in your suitcase and boxes.
10. Being assigned an 1000-word (or longer) paper.
Would it really be college if we weren't assigned tedious papers to write? At a certain point, you officially have nothing else to say. Therefore, you just add as many random words you can think of to meet the required word limit.
11. Having roommates/suitemates.
You never feel like you have complete privacy, even if you have a single bedroom in a suite with others. And if you don't get along with your roommates or suitemates, utter chaos breaks loose.
12. Missing home.
Whether it's your family, friends, pet, home-cooked meals, or favorite food spots. Admit it, you at least miss something from back home when you're away at college.
No other years in your life will compare to the years you spend in college. Being on summer break, I'm sure we can all safely say that we miss our college friends and our favorite perks of being in college. However, I'm sure we can also mutually agree that these are the things we do not miss one bit. Make the most out of your summer before it's time to hop back on the college struggle bus!
