So many changes happen when you enter college. Here nine that will take place during your freshman year.
1. Your parents become your best friends.
We’ve all heard the old cliché “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” This one is a cliché because it’s true. When you’re away from your parents, doing your own laundry and preparing your own meals, you realize how much your parents mean to you. I couldn’t wait to graduate high school and move to college, but now that I’m here I call my mom at least once a week. I text my parents all the time and I look forward to visiting them every chance I get!
2. You forget what sleep is.
High school was difficult at times, and we were all busy. However, once you arrive at college you forget what sleep is. All-nighters become a regular occurrence and coffee is your savior.
3. You become more independent.
In college, you’re forced to make decisions on your own. You can always ask for advice, but you have far more responsibilities than you ever did in high school. During your freshman year, you learn to make the best decision for you and be truly independent.
4. You find your people.
I think we can all remember a time we changed ourselves, even a little bit, in an attempt to fit in more in high school. College is much different. Freshman year brings a whole new, huge crowd of people. It’s when you truly find the people you can be yourself with, and you help one another become the best people you can be.
5. You appreciate your family more.
When you're away from your family, and you might only get to see them over breaks, it gives you a new perspective on the craziness of family. It gives you an appreciation for all the things that your family have done for you, and how they helped get you to where you are.
6. You learn how to interact with professors.
We all knew how to interact with our teachers in elementary and high school. You were respectful, and formal, or you would get in trouble. In college, it’s a lot different. Professors treat you much differently than teachers did, and they are often much more casual than high school teachers. Freshman was the first time I ever referred to a teacher by their first name!
7. You learn to make friends (sometimes in a day).
When you move in on your first day of college, everything is thrown at you at once. You have a roommate, and classes to find, and people to meet. You have to be able to keep an open mind and make friends. No one has to be your friend in college, so you learn very quickly how to be friendly and approach people!
8. You learn how to communicate.
In high school, it was easy to leave a note on the fridge for your parents, or tell your best friends a story once you get to school. In college, however, you learn to be a much more effect communicator. Your family and friends aren’t all right at your fingertips, and you have to actually work to talk to the people you want to. It’s your responsibility to make time to talk to your loved ones.
9. You find your second home.
College is an amazing place. It is full of hard work and sleepless nights. It’s a huge lifestyle change, and it can be very difficult. College is also amazing. It’s full of adventure and fun, and if you’re lucky you’ll make forever friends. You’ll find your home away from home, and you’ll fall in love with the campus you’ve got for the next three years.
