If you've ever considered yourself a nerd, then you've probably considered going to a pop culture convention, if you haven't already gone to one! And why wouldn't you want to go? There's so much to do, from getting pictures, vendors, meeting famous people, and of course cosplay. But when you get to college, the convention scene changes for at least a little while. Money gets tighter, plans become less concrete, and you realize just how much you've grown up.

1. Your friends are all too busy to go

Who do you want to invite to go with you? Your best friend? Lives in your hometown, far away from the convention. Your roommate? Who's going to watch your pet for the weekend? That kid from your 9:30 class with a Full Metal Alchemist tattoo? Do you know them well enough for them to see you in a weird wig? All your friends have way too much homework to waste the weekend blowing money with you at comic con.

2. Cosplay is time-consuming

Even if you have a sewing machine, a hot glue gun, and paint, you still have to find the time to put things together. Sketching and/or planning things out is half the battle. And if you mess up and superglue the wrong side of your armor to your sleeve... well that's an entire Thursday evening you could've spent studying. Heaven forbid your sewing machine break and you have to figure out how fix it. The creative process is slower than you remember it being as a child, but at least your painting skills are better than what they used to be. Maybe.

3. You were immature, too.

Those kids who you rolled your eyes at for literally screaming about their favorite anime in public? You were just like them once. No objections. You were just like that once upon a time, whether you like it or not.

4. You understand your parents' frustration with parking at events

Remember when you were a kid and your parents tried to take you somewhere, but you had to sit in the car FOREVER while they found a spot? Well. There is not a single parking space within a mile of the convention, and you're probably wearing something bulky and cumbersome. You suddenly have all the respect in the world for the people in your position who also have to push strollers around.

5. Money is required for... absolutely everything.

Those people walking around with those brand new Stranger Things posters? $30. That VIP badge they bought to meet the entire cast of The Walking Dead? $300. Those nachos from the snackbar? $10. That Hyrule University T-Shirt? $25. You can either go two routes: you will walk out of the convention empty-handed, or you will spend all of this month's food money on art, buttons, stickers, and a Rick and Morty plushie that you couldn't say no to. You will suddenly want to warn all the kids blowing their allowance money on the same stupid things you once did, that one day they will really need that textbook and not that collection of Star Wars funko pops.

6. Celebrities are just as tired as you

It's Sunday afternoon and you're one of the last people in line to meet an actor from one of your favorite shows. You finally get up to their table, and you notice some familiar traits. Bags under their eyes, a half-hearted smile, a slouch, and a general aura of exhaustion. It turns out that they ARE human, just like you and me. And while college is pretty draining, so is having to talk to thousands of people over the course of three days after a long flight and zero sleep.

7. You aren't bothered by anything people wear

You walk by a girl in a bikini top and pajama bottoms. You walk by a guy in a penguin onesie. You walk by several people in fursuits. You walk by someone dressed as what can only be described as "steampunk pikachu". You walk by someone asleep facedown on the ground, surrounded by Sailor Moon figurines. You are desensitized. You've seen worse on campus.

8. It was totally worth it.

The drive, the expenses, the many hours spent planning. It was a blast and you're already planning for the next one.