Bright eyed and ready to take on this new adventure, I walked into my freshman year of college three years ago. I wore my ID around my neck like a badge of honor, feeling so proud that I had made it here. Along with way too many clothes and Target student bargains, I packed with me a set of expectations I had for my freshman year. Looking back at my years in college, I came to find humor in a lot of realities that followed my expectation.
1. Roommates.
At my school, they have this fun little website where you basically do an "eharmony" application but for roommates. Questions following your sleeping habits, cleanliness style, major, etc. are answered in order to match you up to the perfect roommate. In my eyes, my roommate and I would be best friends. We'd come home from our busy days and talk, go to parties together, and be each other's first friends at college. Was I in for a surprise! While I have nothing against her, (in fact, if you're reading this, I hope you're flourishing in your endeavors!), we fought like cats and dogs. We just did not get along, and that's OK! A tip for all of those incoming freshman: If you happen to be good friends with your roommate, good for you, but make sure you aren't spending too much time together. At the end of the day, it's really OK to just be roommates with each other.
2. Dorm Room.
I spent hours the summer before my first quarter scavenging ideas for how my dorm room would look on Pinterest. When I stepped into my closet of a room, my inner interior decorator shattered.
3. Classes.
I prepared myself my freshman year for classes that were going to consume all of my time. Buying calendars and planners, I expected to get little to no sleep over my "101" classes. While I still put in maximum effort, those introductory classes were not the feat I had planned for.
4. Dressing for classes.
Again with the Pinterest. I pinned away tons of outfit ideas to impress all of my new college peers, only to find out that a week after school started I and most of my other classmates would rock leggings and Birkenstocks.
SEE ALSO: Ladies, Nike Shorts And Leggings Are For The Gym, Nowhere Else
5. The Dining Hall.
Is there anything more exciting than having access to food you don't have to cook almost any time you want it? It's wonderful until about two weeks in when you're exhausted of dining hall food, and especially until you come back for break a solid 10 pounds heavier. What can I say? I can literally get grilled cheese whenever I want.
6. Working out.
After a few years of experience, I have learned to avoid the gym for the first 2 weeks of classes (sometimes I avoid it longer, oops). This is because the incoming freshman are jazzed about the on-campus gym, until they realize that extra hour of sleep really does sound more appealing.
7. Making friends.
It's terrifying going to a place not having friends, I was expecting everyone but myself to have friends. The reality was that everyone else was in the same situation as I was, and making friends wasn't all that hard.
8. Parties.
*Sniff sniff.* Wow, this house smells like puke and cheap beer. Those epic parties you see in the movies? Very rare. Not to mention they all are ridiculously hot. College parties are not all they are hyped up to be every weekend.
SEE ALSO: What Your Mother Didn't Tell You About College Parties
9. Homesickness.
You're going to get homesick. No matter how much you think you won't, you will. End of discussion.