Leaving home for a college five and a half hours away isn't as easy as it seems. From endless packing and unpacking to crying at the most unexpected times, college is hard. Being a junior in college, I've learned it all the hard way, and much of it I wish I had known three years ago. A lesson learned is always a good thing, though. Here are just a few things I wish I had known about college before coming to college.
All my belongings fit in a car.
I wish I had known that everything I need can fit into my small Honda Civic, and everything else is just unnecessary. I would have condensed my belongings a long time ago. I realized that I had acquired waaay too much "stuff." It wasn't long after I arrived in college that I noticed I didn't have everything, but I had everything that I needed to get me by.
New friends become family and old friends don't seem to exist anymore.
Making new friends is possibly the best thing about the college experience, especially with being so far away from home. But being away from those old friends for nine months out of the year made it really hard to keep in touch, or even to still consider them friends. Just like every other high school grad, we all promised to keep in touch, but that only lasted about the next three months. I'd be lying if I said the new friends completely replace the old ones, though, because they don´t.
Coming home would become harder than leaving home.
Going to college 300 miles away forces a girl to become as independent as ever. So, when it comes time to go home for the summer, it can be hard to go back to living under mama's roof and by mama's rules again. Our parents don't realize that we actually gain a life and a lot of independence when we leave home. They also don´t understand that we aren't their babies anymore. College kids coming home is hard for both the parents and the children as well.
Freshman 15 (or 20) is a real thing.
When I first heard the phrase "freshman 15" I thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever. Little did I know, it would be near impossible to keep up with a regular meal schedule, let alone hit the gym. Staying up til four in the morning studying or writing papers also takes a toll on one's diet. Props to the people who avoided the freshman 15 because I am guilty of being envious of them.
Balancing school, friendships and, eventually, a relationship is almost impossible.
It's already difficult enough to get to class on time, or at all. I mentioned earlier that making new friends is pretty much inevitable, but making time for them when you're in class almost all day, well I wish I could say it's easy, but it's not. Throw a new relationship into the mix, and you only can really pick two of the three. It's possible to have all three, but someone ends up offended. If I would have known this, I probably would have stayed in high school as long as I could have.
I COULD make it on my own.
The most important lesson I've learned from my college experience so far is that I can do this on my own. I don't need my mom's help, and I don't have to depend on friends either. I can finally do this thing called life all on my own. Independence is something I value most within myself, and I thank college for it. College has taught me that I can actually make it on my own.
These are just a few things I wish I would have known about college before coming to college. While most of them may have been hard lessons to learn, I´m so thankful for my journey so far throughout my college career, and I'm looking forward to all the lessons to come. College isn't so bad, after all.
