With almost a whole year of college under my belt, here are some things that I know many freshmen learned about living and going away for school.
1. You never truly understand how much you needed your parents or how many questions you would have until they don’t live with you anymore. Whether it is a question about laundry or what do when you have a flat tire, you need their help as much as you don’t want to admit it. As adult as we think we are, our instinct to call our parents when we don’t know what to do about something will probably never go away no matter what age we are.
2. Freshman 15 is real. When that graduation money runs out and you are forced to eat in the cafeteria every meal, the pounds just seem to accumulate. It’s OK. With the stress of college and the frequent naps, it's completely normal. The best thing you can do is limit the number of sodas and sweets you eat and try to do some sort or exercise when you get the chance.
3. High school was nothing. You thought high school was hard? Guess again. When you are studying for hours on hours for your final exam for multiple classes, you will wish you were back in that easy remedial English. You can’t do well without studying. In high school, you rarely looked over notes or reviewed for a test, and that worked for you. If you want to get above a C in a college course, you will have to make time to study for it. There is so much material to cover and retain, but when that class is all said and done, you will feel a lot better.
4. You live on your own. The best feeling in the world is being able to decide for yourself whether to go to bed at a decent hour or to choose to go to a class or not. With freedom comes great responsibility. You have to make yourself be disciplined; if not, you will never attend classes. Your parents are not there to tell you that microwavable mac and cheese and a KoolAid Jammer is not a well-balanced meal, for the most part, we can function on our own, but a little guidance every once in a while could be helpful.
5. It is acceptable to do things by yourself. Whether it is eating alone or walking alone, it's OK. You are an adult or good at acting like one, you will have to handle things by yourself. You actually have to talk to your professors, or at least email them. I know this is a big deal for you, but get used to it.
There are a ton more little things you learn about living away from home and your parents, but these are just some of the big things you learn about college and about yourself in that first year.
