Going to college for your first year can be an exciting experience. There are tons of tips you'll read online or hear from your tour guide when visiting a college campus. On a tour, you learn where the classrooms are, the amenities of a dorm, and about clubs or sports teams. However, there's way more to your freshman year than just these things. Here's a list of things you'll just have to figure out on your own.
1. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself, the dining hall food is NOT good.
I'm not really sure chicken is supposed to look like that. Or that this is even real cheese. But hey, meal plans are expensive. And starving is a little inconvenient. Mom, I'm sorry I ever trash-talked your cooking; I'd do anything to have it again.
2. You retreat to toddler-like tendencies.
Naps are essential to function properly. Wherever, whenever. If you saw someone napping on a couch in a common area in high school, pretty sure you'd judge them. Now you join them.
3. Coffee and tea are your new best friends.
They're like a nap to go. The only thing you use more than your phone is your Keurig. Remember when you couldn't have caffeine/sugar after a certain time of the day? Oh, the simpler years.
4. "You can't do this in one night" is but a mere challenge.
I am not encouraging procrastination, but I am admitting to it. Sometimes you can't avoid it with the workload you have. Other days, a new season of Bob's Burgers gets released on Netflix. We simply do not control these things.
5. The laundry room is more frustration than it's worth.
Having an accessible, clean laundry machine is something you took advantage of. Hopefully it's free at your college, but it's not at most. Everything is wrinkly. You're pretty sure things shrink every time you wash them. The machines are always full. This is a quick shoutout to the people that leave their wash in the machine for hours. You're evil.
6. You'll question your major.
I can't speak for all majors, but I am 99 percent sure that at one point during freshman year your train of thought will go like this: "Why is this my major? I don't even like this subject anymore. Any other major has to be better. LITERALLY ANYTHING."
7. You don't HAVE to do anything.
It's a scary thought, but what you do with your free time is completely up to you. No one is here to yell at you if you skip class, make you get out of bed in the morning, or remind you to work out. Just do what makes you happy, but remember your responsibilities. Ew. Responsibilities.
8. Early classes are actually equivalent to death.
If you can avoid an 8 a.m. class, please do. Please do yourself that favor. I don't care if you're a morning person or get a full night's sleep every night. You will not want to learn about mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell at that hour. No one does.
9. You might lose some friends but you'll make great new ones.
Whether you mean to or not, you will drift away from people. Your friends from high school may not be your friends in college, and that's okay. The people you meet at orientation may never cross paths with you again. But you will meet some pretty amazing people whether they're your roomie(s), in your class, or in a club with you.
10. Crying is totally OK.
This one sounds kind of ridiculous but it's true. College is stressful, and no one will deny that one. Sometimes you need a good cry. Just remember your friends are always there for you, and that the dining hall almost always has ice cream for these kind of days.
11. It's actually totally cool to go to the library now.
In some high schools the library may not have been the first place you found yourself finding your free time. But in college, it's almost always packed. So if you spend a few Saturday nights slaving over work, remember you're in good company!
12. If you don't stay organized, good luck.
Don't make "That was due today?" your tagline. Stay organized, and get a planner to keep you on track. It'll take some getting used to, but you'll thank yourself in the end. Plus studying seems more appealing when you remind yourself in glitter pen.
13. Your experience is what you make it.
This all seems like a lot, but it's all things you'll learn on your own time. College may be a lot of work, but it's worth it. You get out of it what you put in, and if you try your best and put yourself out there, this may just be the best four years of your life.
