College is a whole new world. People are changing and the opportunities are numerous. There is an entire world of differences and people to meet. You're learning what life is about and what you want to do in your life. College is about finding yourself and learning from mistakes. You're on your own and having to take care of yourself. Here are the top five things I've discovered in college.
1. Your mom is not always there for you.
The hardest transition from living at home to living in a college dorm an hour away from home was that I did not always have my mom with me. My whole life my mother had been there for me through pretty much everything; she was my best friend, my go to and all the sudden I no longer had her right there for me. She was not there to cook dinner or take care of me when I was sick. But most importantly my mom was not there to hold me when something went wrong.
2. You get to decide what to do with your free time.
In high school, your day was structured for 8 hours and then even more if you were involved in sports or after school activities. I cheered and also managed the baseball team, so for me, I was constantly at the school at specific times doing specific things. In college, though I have maybe two or three classes a day spread out so I am always trying to decide what I am going to do. I have a two-hour break every day in the middle of the day (that is often used for napping) that I have to spend doing something. At night you're not always doing something and often just sit and contemplate what in the world you're actually doing with your life.
3. Your eating habits will change.
Coming from high school I ate at the same times every day. Seven in the morning, noon, and 6 in the afternoon. I always had planned meals and knew what I was going to be eating. The food was quite a bit more healthy and ate more than I do now. College is a whole new world when it comes to food. There are dinning halls and also a commons area with fast food. You spend a lot more money on eating unhealthy food. You also don't eat three meals every day. Some days you're lucky if you even eat one. Home cooked meals are not longer a daily thing and are often treated as a gift. I can't even tell you how much I love when my mom visits or I go home and she cooks for me.
4.You will lose contact with old friends.
PSA the friends you had in high are not necessarily the friends you'll have in college. A lot of times the friends you have in high school are only you're friends because you see them every day. You're thrown together in a building for four years and sometimes you're friends out of convenience and not because you'll be best friends for life. You all will grow as people and sometimes that means you'll grow apart. But you know what, that is okay. The people you meet in college are all growing and finding themselves too. You're all in the same boat trying to discover what life has in store for you.
5. People don't really care about what you're doing.
When you're in high school every single person knows everyone's business. Someone went out everyone knows, someone breaks up and 30 minutes later the entire school knows. The worst part was that everyone talked about it too. Once college hits no one cares. People are doing their own thing and when something happens people just don't worry about it. We're at a point in our lives where doing whatever you want is okay and people don't judge you. The normal for college isn't really a thing. Whatever you're doing is normal and that is such a nice thing.
Never once did I think that I would change as much as I have once I came to college. If you asked me a year ago if I thought I would be the person I am today I would have said no. I wouldn't have thought I would be in the organizations I'm in or be as happy with my choices as I am. My life has done a complete 180-degree turn for the better. Take chances, make crazy decisions, and never stop learning.
