I've been there. I've researched schools, I've applied for scholarship after scholarship, I sent in applications, and I prayed my little heart out to get into the school I wanted to go to. I had all of these ideas and plans in my head for how college was going to go and what it was going to be like. I felt like a real adult who knew exactly was she was doing and was ready to grow up and be on her own.
LOL.
I thought I had it all figured out. Plot twist: I did not.
Here are a few things I thought were going to happen when I went to college, that I quickly learned were not the case.
1. I'm gonna get stuff done.
I told myself that when I got to college that I was going to be SUPER motivated and I was going to study and spend all my time focused on my schoolwork. That was a dang lie. I wish I could say that it wasn't and I get all my assignments done weeks in advance and that Blackboard was my very best friend, but I don't and it's not. Don't get me wrong, I do my homework and I try to keep my GPA up, but I don't spend all my free time focused on my studies, and that's okay. College is supposed to be four of the best years of your life and it is totally acceptable to have a social life. Go have fun, you deserve it. (But you still have to get your stuff done on time.)
2. Everyone in college is going to be super mature.
For some reason, I was under the impression that moving off to college would make everyone gain some sense of maturity and it would be totally different than high school. I was wrong. People are still petty, and no matter how old they are, they still make dumb decisions. Yes, we're all legally adults but that in no way means we act like them. College kids can feed themselves (ramen counts as a nutritious meal, right?) and sometimes they do laundry. So adult.
3. I know exactly how to survive without my parents.
You know all those times when your parents were like, "you're gonna thank me for this someday" or "one day I won't be there to help you do this" and your stubborn teenage-self was all like, "I DO WHAT I WANT." Well, if there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that I didn't know as much as I thought I did. I find myself calling my parents to ask them questions all the time"Hey, dad, what does this light in my car mean?"
"Hey, mom, who's our insurance provider?"
"Hey, dad, can you transfer some money into my account? I need gas."
"Hey, mom, so do I wash these on cold or warm water.."
You think you know it all, but you don't and that's okay. That's what growing up is for.
I've learned a lot about myself this year, but mostly I learned that college wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I'm learning as I go. College is full of new experiences and no matter how prepared you think you are, you'll learn something new every day.
