As the semester comes to an end, I’ve been looking back at the past few months of my first semester away at college, thinking about how things have changed and what I’ve learned.

1. You will make new friends.

This is for both going away and commuting. Whether you’re going to college with ten friends from high school or no friends, you will make friends. It may be only a few or it may be a lot, but no worries, you still have three and half years left of college to make tons of more friends.

2. People are different.

Along with making new friends, you meet a lot of new people. In high school, you knew people within a five mile radius of your house or your school and almost all of their back stories. In college—especially if you are away at college—people are from all over the place, and their backgrounds are completely different. It’s weird having to explain certain things that were a norm for you where you were from and the people you meet find it weird.

3. You won’t dress as nicely as you did in high school.

I used to wear skirts, dresses, etc., and even planned out my outfits the night before during high school, but that is a totally different story in college.

Since you only show up to about three classes or less a day and all at random times, you just choose not to get all dressed up and prefer to wear the college sweatshirt and sweatpants that you bought during orientation.

4. Early morning classes are the worst.

You may think you can wake up for your 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. and think it’s no big deal because you woke up at 5 or 6 in the morning for high school. You are wrong. Those days that you have only afternoon classes make you realize those are the only classes you want.

5. You either eat everything or nothing at all.

With schedules changing each week, sometimes you have mountains of homework or nothing, and that affects your eating habits. When you have a lot of homework and a bunch of other things to do, eating may be pushed to the wayside until your stomach gurgles and you realize it’s ten o’clock at night.

But, when you have those days that you have absolutely nothing to do, you eat everything in sight.

6. Instant meals are your new home cooked meals.

Going to the dining hall is practically going out to eat and going out to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day, is just absurd. Thus, when you stay in your room, and cook Ramen or instant Mac-n-Cheese, it’s pretty much the college version of a home cooked meal.

7. There is a lot of reading.

The reading is already doubled for me because my major is English Education, but overall, you have to read the assigned text pages.

You won’t get by just skimming or skipping the reading and waiting until class. Some things that was in the textbook that the professor did not go over in class will be on the exam.

8. You take more naps than you did in pre-school.

Sleep is well-cherished. Whether it’s walking around campus all day going to classes, staying up late at night writing a research paper, or joking around with your roommate until 3 AM the naps are a must.

9. You won’t set the washer/dryer on fire.

I know I was terrified of doing laundry by myself for the first time because I was scared of screwing it up. I even saw a picture on Tumblr of someone who set the machine on fire when she did laundry for the first time. Don’t fret! It’s easy!

10. You become very resourceful.

College students that live away from home are known for being some of the most resourceful people because they don’t always have everything they need—and they’re broke—like refilling water bottles in the dining halls. You even begin to do things that your parents do or that you normally wouldn't do at home. Such as, using a clip to keep chips from going stale.

11. You don’t get as homesick as you thought you would.

As much as you, your mom, and your dad cried on move-in day, the homesickness isn’t so bad. You begin to miss things about home, rather than actually having the desire to go live back home. For instance, you miss home cooked meals, your own bedroom, and not having to shower with flip-flops on.

12. The first day seems like a lifetime ago.

You get used to college life pretty fast. It become the norm easily and even feels strange and sort of sad when you go home for break.