Camp is something I thank my parents for every single day. Not only did it give me my best friends in the whole world, a place where I can be myself, opportunities I can’t get anywhere else, and a place I have called home for the past 12 years, but it also gave me a jump-start when I got to college. Immediately after moving into my freshman dorm, it became evident that sleep-away camp gave me a significant advantage in adjusting to college life.

1. Camp prepared you to live with other people.

Sharing a room with another person can be tremendously difficult if you aren’t ready to do it. Luckily for anyone who spent their summers in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, camp prepares you to share a confined living-space with other people. Thanks to snoring bunkmates, messy neighbors, and light sleepers, anyone who went to camp is more than set to live with a roommate at college.

2. You're already used to sharing a bathroom.

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Many freshmen become frustrated when the showers are all taken 20 minutes before class. But fortunately for anyone who went to camp, you’re used to showering at absurd times of the day to avoid busy bathroom hours. If it means you have to wake up a little earlier in the morning, or go to bed a little later at night, it’s okay because you’ve already come to terms with that every summer! And, you don’t even think twice about wearing shoes in the shower because it has become second nature!

3. You know people before you even get to school.

Even if it’s just your best camp friend’s home friend’s cousin, you’re almost guaranteed to walk into school knowing someone. These instant connections can be extremely helpful when you’re first navigating friends and who to hang out with. And, if you’re as lucky as I am, someone you were actually friends with at camp will end up at school with you, giving you an immediate close friend!

4. ...and it's a conversation starter for meeting new people.

During sorority recruitment when you need something to talk about, camp always seems to make it’s way into the conversation. People can’t fathom the fact that camp-goers spend 8 weeks away from home, without their phones, every summer. And, if you're lucky enough to find someone else who also spent their summers away, you have an automatic bond.

5. You are capable of forming real relationships and talking to people in person.

No-technology policies teach campers more than just living without phones and computers. Anyone who went to camp knows how to form genuine relationships with people, rather than artificial ones made over the Internet. Spending 8 weeks away from devices teaches counselors and campers alike to form friendships without the use of texting or forms of social media.

6. You don't get homesick often, but when you do, you know how to deal with it.

Starting to spend summers away from your parents at 8 years old prepares you to live independently. 8 weeks is a long time for any kid, but it can really get you ready to move into your first dorm in college. And, just like you can’t wait to see your parents on visiting day at camp, you anxiously await their arrival on parents weekend at school! Although the goodies you receive on each day are probably a little different. At camp you might ask them to bring you bug-spray and cookies, at school you need probably need your favorite sweatshirt that you forgot at home and a case of water. Either way, sleep-away camp is good practice for any kid planning on going away for college.

7. Sharing clothes is expected.

On any given day at camp, 70% of what your wearing probably belongs to other people. And with that, 10 other people are probably wearing things that belong to you. This constant sharing at camp prepared you to do the same at school. From swapping shirts when getting ready to go to frantically looking for a dress to borrow for the date party you have tomorrow night, sharing clothes is standard college-girl procedure.

8. Gross dining hall food is no big deal.

The camp dining hall has more than prepared you to utilize what your school dining hall has to offer. Your goal in both is to make the most out of your options to keep yourself well fed, which is not always easy. Thank goodness camp taught you to spot the good food at each station in order to assemble an edible meal!