Freshman year of college could quite possibly represent the pinnacle of every struggle known to mankind. I mean, why wouldn't it? As you start to settle in and finally feel cozy about your new home, there are still some struggles that will always be VERY apparent in your life. Here is a list of (just) some of them.

1. Trying to eat healthy.

Oh, the dreaded freshman 15, or in some cases (mine) freshman 50, the weight that many tell themselves, “Oh it won’t happen to me, I’ll work out and eat healthy." Trust me, it’s a lot EASIER said than done. When you are surrounded by a plethora of greasy and fattening options, it’s hard to just simply turn a blind eye. All I want at the end of a long day is a hearty bowl (or slice) of something fattening to make myself feel better; a cold salad could never satisfy that need.

2. Trying to maintain a consistent gym schedule.

The amount of times that I’ve told myself that I was going to workout and slept instead are innumerable. After a long day of classes, all I want is to tape myself to my bed. The treacherous journey of going to the gym is split up into two phases. The first phase is walking to the gym. The next is ACTUALLY working out at the gym. I will admit that on two separate occasions I have walked to the gym, got on a stationary bike, didn’t even start pedaling and went back to my dorm to nap.

3. Living in a dorm

As much as I love living with 44 guys and girls, living in a dorm has its negatives. One of the biggest downfalls is the bathrooms. Shower shoes will be your best friend for the whole year unless you want to get toe fungus (this happened to someone I know). Also, when you are living side by side with recent high school graduates, it’s hard for drama not to happen. The latest gossip of who likes who and “HE OR SHE DID WHAT?” will be common topics of discussion and can get emotionally exhausting.

4. Having to actually walk to your classes.

Okay, I know this is a bit exaggerated because most of us had to walk to our classes in high school. However, in high school most of us could get to their classes by walking INSIDE to the other side of the same building. In college, you have to face MOTHER NATURE, (who wins 10/10 times) in order to reach your classes. This means planning for the proper attire necessary, leaving wherever you are a lot earlier, and accepting pitiful defeat from mother nature on a daily basis.

5. Experiencing FOMO.

It’s a Wednesday and there’s a basketball game that all your friends have decided to attend. You really want to go but you unfortunately have a paper. Suddenly, that anxious and left-out feeling begins to linger inside of you. Well that’s the GREAT FOMO! There are definitely going to be some events, parties, and sporting games that you won’t be able to attend for a variety of reasons, and it’s up to you to learn how to cope and deal with that dreaded FOMO.

6. Trying to figure your life out.

It’s extremely difficult being a freshman and being surrounded by people your age who seem to have their whole life planned out. This is especially difficult if you are an undecided major. Even though most have until junior year to “officially decide”, you still need to have some type of track in mind in order to take the appropriate classes for what you eventually decide to do. I mean having any sort of idea of what you want to do for the rest of your life as an 18 year old is a huge step and risk! How can I even mildly know what I want to do for the rest of my life if i get anxious with deciding between going to class or going to forest dining hall?!

7. Being thrown into a completely different environment

This is when adapting is crucial. If you come from a city and are going to a suburban town, or vice versa you have to know and be comfortable with adjusting to your new home. This is especially difficult for people from a different country or a different part of the country. Adjusting and keeping an open mind to a new environment will not only help you grow as a person but it may enlighten you in some strange way. However, it’s still difficult to leave your comfort zone and be forced to automatically love and accept your new home for the next 4 years.

8. Having to take gen-eds.

It’s extremely annoying to take classes that don’t relate to your major. If you are a public policy major, why should you have to take calculus? It’s hard to accept and be okay with having to take these classes that seem incredibly useless to your future, especially since college tuition is already so high.