Last year at this time, when I was an incoming college freshman, I was terrified. I laid awake at night and thought of everything I still needed to do before I left and everything that could go wrong once I did. I was so full of anxiety that I went into denial that I was leaving, left everything that needed to be done a week before move-in, and then proceeded to make my last week at home probably the most stressful time of my life.
Now here I am a year later, and looking back I can tell you that I added 100 percent more stress to the process than was necessary. So believe me, I know that a lot of y'all are incredibly anxious right now as you're in the process of packing, and I hope that I can put some of your worries to rest. Here are eight things all college freshmen should know:
1. It's OK to not pack everything you could ever possibly need for college.
Hang that parka back in your closet, and put down that third bottle of shampoo. Unless you're going to college someplace really cold and/or far away, you will probably come home at least once before winter hits. Don't feel pressured to bring all of your winter clothes right now; you can easily switch out some of your summer clothes a couple of months down the road and save some much-needed space in your dorm room.
There's a 99 percent chance that the town where your college is located has a WalMart or some other type of supermarket. If you forget to pack something, you aren't trapped. Didn't bring enough hangers? Go get in your car (or make a new friend and hitch a ride with them), drive to the store and buy some. Welcome to adulthood.
2. You don't have to be BFFs with your freshman roommate.
I personally love both of the roommates I was blessed with my freshman year and will always consider them great friends of mine (Shout-out to Kila and Dani). However that's not the case with everyone, and that's OK.
Some roommates hang out a lot at first, but then drift apart when they each find their own friend groups — this seems to happen often to those who were already friends when they moved in together. A similar common occurrence is that roommates will get along OK, but not really click because they're just too different. Seriously, it's totally acceptable to have a friendship with your roommate that doesn't exist much outside of your dorm room.
Others really clash with their roommates and find somewhere else to spend most of their time. Good places to do that are the library, your floor lobby or your friend's dorm rooms. I usually woke up to friends opening my door who would rather spend their day in my room than their own. And guess what? We had a blast, every single day. But if that's not enough for you, you can ask to change rooms, or be like my second semester roommate, who secretly moved in and took the empty bed my first semester roommate left available when she transferred (This is not a recommendation; all room transfers should be approved by your RAs).
Of course if you're one of the lucky ones, you'll end up with a roommate that becomes an amazing friend. But if that's not you, your college experience can still be just as awesome, I promise!
3. Dining hall food is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
Of course, it depends on your college, but my experience with the dining hall was relatively good. Enjoy not having to worry about making yourself food, never getting into disagreements with your residence hall friends on where to eat and being able to pick up a hot meal when you're starving on the way back from your 11:30 class. Dining halls offer a large variety of options that keep you from getting tired of the food too quickly. Not every meal is outstanding, but you'll survive. Besides, if the food was too good, it would be called the freshman 30 instead of the freshman 15. When you do eventually get tired of the food, or you check the menu for dinner that night and simply aren't impressed, go out to Chick-fil-A or Buffalo Wild Wings with some friends! It's a nice treat.
4. Doing your own laundry is not a big deal.
Unless you plan to go home every other weekend, doing your own laundry is an inevitable part of college. If you don't know how to do laundry, then find your own Ross Geller to teach you how to do it and try to not leave a red sock in with your whites ("Friends" reference anyone?).
Seriously, though, get someone to either teach you how to do it before you leave or find a friend at college to help you. I myself, being the considerate and selfless person that I am, taught a guy in my building how to do his laundry and was only internally judgmental about it.
If you already know how to do laundry, then good for you! You're already practically a fully-functioning adult. The laundry room can actually be a good place to study, so feel free to multi-task and knock out some homework while you wait. Or, you can set a timer and come back for your clothes, but beware, college kids are ruthless and will take your clothes out of the machine if you leave them sitting too long (I have been both the victim AND the perpetrator in these situations). Laundry is also a good way to bond with people, so ask your roommate or someone on your floor to do laundry with them; it makes it more enjoyable!
Ultimately, no matter what way you wanna do it, laundry is simply not something to worry about. You may go through every last clean item of clothing you own, and then even some items that are not so clean, but eventually you will wash them and everything will be fine.
Tip: Do laundry at weird hours so that the laundry room will be less crowded. Sunday afternoons may seem like the perfect time for laundry, but it seems that way to everyone else too.
5. Dorm life is not that bad.
I actually loved living in the dorms (which might be an invalid opinion since I had a suite with a private bathroom). Is dorm life glamorous and perfect? No. But it's fun! The next time you get to live in a building full of people your age with a community-like environment will probably be your nursing home, so enjoy it now.
As for those of y'all who will be using community bathrooms, I actually sometimes wish I had chosen them over the suite-style because those in the traditional wings became friends so much more quickly than those of us on the suite wing. It took me practically a whole semester to come out of my room and meet the rest of the people from my floor, who then became great friends of mine. Community bathrooms aren't exactly convenient, but maybe you'll thank that bathroom for bringing you together with one of your best friends some day. Remember, it's only one year of your entire life — you can do this!
6. Parties aren't the only way to have fun in college.
Are you excited to start partying? College is the place for you!
Are you not all that interested in partying? College is the place for you!
While I can say that I definitely had some great nights going to parties with my friends, when I look back, my favorite nights were actually the ones where we stayed in. We didn't have to get dressed up or make plans, we just ordered pizza and watched a movie and enjoyed each other's company. College will be as fun as you make it! No where does it say you have to go to parties in college. College is about independence, so be independent and do what you want to do! If you want to party, then do that (but not too much y'all, schoolwork comes first). If a night hanging around with your friends in your room sounds more appealing to you, then do that. It's up to you!
7. You don't have to be on the constant look out for your future spouse.
While it would be awesome to have a love story like Marshall and Lily from HIMYM, it's not going to be reality for everyone. You don't have to meet the person you're going to marry your freshman year, or even in college at all. Most of the guys I came across my freshman year of college were far from boyfriend material and certainly not marriage potential. All those douchey guys from your high school that you (and every other girl) are happy to finally get away from in college? Well chances are your new lab partner was one of those guys at his own high school, and there are girls all over the state that are glad to be away from him. Think about it.
Not saying there aren't some truly great guys in college, I'm just saying they're not easy to find. The same can be just as true for girls too; I'm not even sure if I qualify as girlfriend or marriage potential right now. Why don't we all stop desperately searching for "the one," and just be young and carefree and worry about marriage when we happen to meet someone we actually want to marry? Deal?
8. College doesn't have to be THAT hard.
Is college challenging? Of course! Just stay on top of your deadlines and set time aside every day to do you work, and you'll be fine. Many people recommend a planner. I have never used one and have so far been fine, but I bought one for this year and am going to attempt to use it regularly!
If right from the get-go you feel like you've just taken on too much, consider dropping a class. (If you have room to, that is. Make sure to do at least 12 credit hours a semester.) Take a course or two at a community college over the summer to stay on track. Graduating on time is important, but so is your GPA!
All-nighters don't have to be part of your college experience. If you manage your time well, you shouldn't ever need to pull one. I did, on multiple occasions (started studying for my 7:30 am Econ final at 4:30 am after staying up watching "Friday Night Lights," and somehow got an A), but I definitely don't recommend them. It messes up your sleep schedule for a while and your friends will get really concerned when you nearly fall asleep in your mashed potatoes ... Not that that's ever happened to me, though.
Just remember y'all: Be responsible, don't procrastinate, have fun (safely) and rent your textbooks from Amazon.
