The College Experience We Don't Talk About

For most people, going away to college is the first time they have ever been without their parents. If you live in a dorm, this is very obvious to you because it quickly becomes clear that many people are not used to cleaning up after themselves. For me, this could not have been any clearer than the day my floor got in trouble because of someone leaving a tampon in the shower!

College kids are gross. I understand that a lot of us probably try to use the community showers as little as we can manage and going home to your own shower is the best feeling in the world, but it is no excuse to be flat out disgusting. On top of avoiding actual showers by replacing them with baby wipes, students are sweating profusely in the heat of walking to and from classes.

While I'd rather take the bus to the building farthest away from my dorm most days, there are other times that I choose to walk to avoid the smell of body odor. I remember an assembly in fifth grade in which everyone was told the importance of wearing deodorant. Apparently, not everyone had any sort of lesson such as that.

Every time I step in one of the showers, I feel like I have entered a museum of shower trash. The floor of the shower, along the walls, is lined with the plastic protective covers that come on new razors (they're meant to be thrown away).

I didn't know that people cleaned their ears in the shower until I got into college either. I know now because it is not uncommon to find q-tips in the shower (those are also meant to be thrown in the garbage can that is literally in arms reach of the shower).

It is also important to note that whenever I run out of conditioner, I tend to throw away the bottle immediately. I guess other people think you're supposed to collect them in the shower because I've seen as many as five empty bottles at a time inside.

Besides basic hygiene and tidiness that some college students lack, another thing you may find disturbing is how many inconveniences you may encounter as a university student. You'd think that such a large establishment could be a little more organized, especially with how much every student there is paying the university.

I have found that there is no point in even checking the bus schedule because it's not like they're going to show up on time anyway. I have waited outside of my dorm through three scheduled stops yet no bus has come, and then when one does arrive, it's not even the correct route.

With so many students trekking all the way across campus in such a short amount of time, the least the university could do is have a somewhat reliable transportation system. However, the most reliable transportation here is walking.

Having a car while living on campus is almost a hassle. I pay to live in my dorm yet, I have to move my car every Saturday morning by 7 a.m. on weekends when there are home football games. The parking lot in the front becomes the fieldhouse lot, while the one in the back becomes a pay lot.

If the university is as concerned about my safety as they claim to be, I wouldn't think they would want me walking across campus in the dark to bring my car back to my dorm.

Student studies and surveys have shown that most campus parking lots are, at any given time of day, at about 40% capacity. Yet, students who live on campus cannot park in any lots besides those closest to their dorms until after 5 P.M. University Police are overly eager to write parking citations.

I once had a police officer park directly behind me and wait until I got to the door of the building to get out and tuck a warning under my windshield wiper. There were less than ten other vehicles in the parking lot, with at least 15 or 20 more spots left, and I was there for less than half an hour.

The biggest scam I have ever experienced is having to purchase a $90+ access code to do my homework. While I do enjoy the luxury of online quizzes and practice tests, I wish professors would take the time to make these themselves on Canvas or Blackboard rather than requiring students to buy access to platforms such as Inquisitive. I understand that this would be a timely process, but the quizzes could be used for years to come as far as most courses go.

My biggest pet peeve is having to go to meetings. I feel like most of the time when I attend a meeting, the first thought I have when I walk out is: "That could have been sent in an email." I have this thought at least once a week.

Meetings seem like the biggest waste of time in my opinion because a room full of college students who are only there because they have to equal a room full of people in their phones, not paying any attention.

On the daily college can be extremely exhausting and you will get annoyed a lot, but hopefully, it better prepares you for a brighter future.