As college begins, the wonder and amazement of Freshmen living on their own increases on the daily. Shortly after your move in and discovery of cool new things in your new home, you begin to learn things you never thought you would. Here are five things that you learn within your first week of college:
1. That 15 Meal-A-Week Plan is Not Enough
As a person who generally eats a decent amount of food, I figured 15 swipes of that meal card would be just fine. "That's enough food," I thought. However, the realization that I may need a few more was swift and just. Part of the issue is that I assumed I would be eating out more than I do, which brings me to point number 2.
2. If You Spend More Than $2 on Food, You're Wasting Your Money
I now have gotten a lot closer to learning the value of a dollar, and this discovery has made me think twice about spending near as much money on food as I have in the past. No matter how supremely average that dining hall food may be, I can't complain too much because it’s definitely worth the price of admission.
3. We're All Going to Have That One Roommate/Suite-mate That We Can't Stand
There are a lot of people from all types of backgrounds and situations who you will come into contact with. Unfortunately for you, you'll most likely get the roommate/suite-mate who is the most unlike you. Honestly, you're just going to have to deal with it and move on. Odds are, you won't see much of him/her until it’s time to go to sleep, and even then, you can avoid conversation as long as you're hiding under your bed sheets.
4. Wow, College is A Lot of Work
Yeah, we all heard it coming into college. The whole, "You better study hard in college, because it's completely different from high school!" spiel from our parents. We kind of shrugged it off as "parents being parents," but as usual, they were right. College is a lot of work. However, college being a lot of work doesn't mean that you shouldn't have fun. If you spend your days writing essays and reading textbooks and try continuously to be this "perfect student," you're going to waste the best years of your life. So find that easy medium, and allow yourself to have some adventures, yet also be able to say "no" when you have a deadline.
5. Don't Be Afraid to Step Out
Everyone around you is going through the same transition as you. Everyone wants more friends, and this isn't high school anymore. People don't have set friend groups that you have to manipulate your way into. You just have to have the courage to go sit with them and talk, or just walk with them to class. Step out and meet new people because everyone is willing to talk, and you have to be willing to make the motion of being their friend. Find those people you enjoy and mesh with, and begin to do life with them, because quite frankly, you're stuck with them in this big home we call college.
