You're home for Thanksgiving. Or winter break. Or spring break. Or summer. Or just to say hi.
It's good to get a break, of course, (and stuff your face silly with food!) but as you sit on your bed, in your old high-school room, you'll have this list in the back of your mind, because it never really is the same once you leave.
Is that a bad thing? Well...

Without further ado, here's six things that aren't the same after you start college.

1. Your weight.

Freshman fifteen is real, okay?!

Everyone always jokes about the "living off of ramen" stereotype, but nobody really talks about just how much free food is just lying around campus for unwilling (or very much willing) college students to devour--not including the buffet-style dining hall! Whether it be at club meetings, student GBMs, fundraisers or campus events, all those yummy Krispy Kreme donuts, Starbucks iced coffee, tacos, sushi, pizza and burgers are waiting around for you, and they're calling your name. Before you know it, you've gained weight. Freshman fifteen? More like freshman fifty.

2. Your friend group.

It's a sad truth, but y'all are going to face it one way or another: your high school friends may not stay your friends in college.

Many of us go away to new places and meet new people. Or we go to the same college as our friends, and they meet new people. Or you just don't stay in touch, or you have a falling out...

Don't let it stress you out, though. College is a place of learning and discovery; chances are, you're going to make much more friends than you'll realize--ones that'll last a lifetime.

3. Your major.

Things happen, alright?

You may think you love a subject, but then...you don't. You may think you love a subject, but then...you realize you only like a specific part of it, instead of the whole picture. You may think you love a subject, but then...you flunk a whole class.

Things happen. Things change. Again, don't let it stress you out. It's why we're here, after all--to learn and let learn.

4. Your GPA.

4.0's might be feasible in high school, but in college, HAH!

High schoolers always wonder why high-ranking in-college programs have minimum GPA requirements of 3.4 and 3.5. I know I did. Well, that's because not only do we come to college to learn, but we also end up failing, too.

Nobody's perfect, and college is hard, especially in freshman year. We're still getting used to all the kinks...so don't let one failing grade bring you down. We're here to learn, and you just did, and will continue to do so.

5. Your sleep schedule.

Oh, for sure. College is hard, and coffee is cheap. Tie that in with any possible clubs, jobs, volunteering, and outside commitments, and yeah, you'll have to pull a few all-nighters to get everything done. 2 am is the new midnight, amirite?

Always remember, kids: Night is but an illusion.

6. And, most of all, you.

We're getting older. We're learning. We're maturing. We're figuring out what we want in the world, and why we're really here.

Your original plan and purpose may be different from what it was as a high-school senior, and that's okay. College will change you in one at least one way, shape or form, and that's okay. It's normal. You're here to grow in knowledge--you might just grow as a person, too.

College will change you, and you will change. You may not be the same person as before, but that's just fine. Isn't that the whole point?