College. That is one scary word, at least to me. Although college may be ten times more difficult than high school, there are both positive and negative aspects that come out of it. College is a time to learn and grow in order to head off into the real world once you graduate. During your freshman year, you start to discover what adulting is like; this is a time when you are treated as an adult in the real world. Here are 4 things that have happened to me ever since I started college.

1. You make a whole new group of friends.

As the saying goes, "Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold". Yes, I still talk to my friends from high school and we hang out occasionally (we even attend the same school and we still talk even though we have different friend groups!), but now I have a new plethora of friends as an addition that I can text in my free time whenever I'm hungry or bored, and they're always game. I'm so glad I became so close with several people in only these few short months. It really helped that I joined a sorority, because you automatically gain over a hundred sisters that you can bond with anytime. These are the people I mainly hang out with, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

2. Your days become jam-packed, your stress increases, and it seems as if you have no time for anything.

I remember the days of high school and how simple it was. You would simply go to school, and classes would all be back to back. School ends, you go to a club meeting or two, dance classes throughout the week, and then your day is done. In college, classes are distributed all throughout the day, with a possibility of a night class or two. Between classes, you have to catch up with studying, sorority events (for some girls), volunteering, applying for jobs, interviews, exercising, clubs, dance workshops/rehearsals, and of course writing weekly articles for the Odyssey (at least for me!). Stress levels definitely rise, and there is a huge sense of overwhelmingness hovering above you. I leave my dorm room in the morning at 8:45 and I don't step foot in there until around 5:00 or 6:00. Of course, there's also your social life, which is important. In my free time, I'm usually out with friends eating dinner or watching movies.

3. You find yourself doing things you'd never normally say or do.

Never would I have thought that'd I'd be going out last minute, speaking my voice in front of many people, or end up crashing in my friend's room after a "fun" night. I'd always thought that'd I'd be the perfect college student, always going to bed on time and going out responsibly. Soon, your expectations change as reality actually hits you. Yes, I've definitely stayed up till 4:00 AM after a night out, and I've stayed up till 1:30 studying at the library for 3 tests the next day. It happens to every college student, I guarantee you. Recently, for the first time, I finally spoke my voice and it felt amazing, considering I've been holding it in for a long time. You end up surprising yourself with what you can accomplish.

4. You are treated as an adult.

This is real life now. This isn't high school anymore, therefore you are treated like an adult. It's all on you whether you decide to attend your classes or not. Your professors are not going to catch you up. You are responsible for catching up, for completing all your assignments. Don't expect your professors to attend to everything you need, because it's not going to happen. Many classes are bigger, so most professors won't even know your name. You are not able to get an extension on your assignments or avoid them just because you don't feel like doing it. You can't just sit around all day and expect them to help you out. There's no more excuses. If you want help, you have to advocate for yourself and take advantage of their office hours outside of class. They aren't going to reach out to you if you are struggling. Yes, homework isn't exactly mandatory, but you should do it to help yourself, not because it's not required. With hard work and effort, I was able to earn above a 3.6 GPA last semester because I took responsibility for my work. Don't complain about the grades you get, if you failed a class, or if your GPA wasn't what you wanted, because that's all on you. Do well and take action, because you are getting closer and closer to living on your own, and only you can determine your success.

I hope as who ever is reading this article is heading off to college, you realize that these are most likely going to happen to you, too. Yes, college can be difficult, with the all-nighters, homework, involvement, and commitments, but college is a great place as well, with all the new friends you make and special relationships that are born. Enjoy it while you can.