Adjusting to college was a really long process for me, like a semester long process. But I learned a lot more from being on my own for the first time than I did when I was sitting in class
1.Sorting your laundry does matter.
When I lived at home, I didn’t EVER sort my laundry. I don't know why I didn’t, because I’ve been doing my own laundry since I started middle school, but the thought never crossed my mind that I needed to separate my white and light colored clothes from my dark colored clothes. Until I went to college, I never had a mishap with a shrunken sweater or a t-shirt that had a dark colored spot on it. I thought that using color catcher sheets and being super careful with what I did and did not put into the dryer would make everything okay. But many stained and shrunken shirts later, I’ve learned my lesson.
2. You find your friend group after a little while.
When you first start college, everyone is looking for their place and trying to make friends. I’ve met so many cool people during my first semester, and at one point I thought I had found “my people.” But a lot of them are just people I smile and wave to when I pass them on campus. My true friends I made during recruitment and from being able to walk across the hall or down the stairs and sit on their floor and talk for hours.
3. A home cooked meal is a blessing.
In high school, I definitely took my mom's cooking for granted. While the dinning hall food is good most of the time, I really miss my mom cooking me pasta and making all of the Tasty recipes that I send her on a daily basis.
4. Being far away is hard.
When I first applied to college, the only thought in my mind was “the farther away the better.” I wanted to get away from my hometown and the people I had grown up with. I wanted a change of scenery. I love Texas and I love my school and being away has had a much more positive impact on my mental health than being at home had. But a lot of the time I miss my town, and knowing where I am when I’m driving somewhere, or seeing a familiar face when I go to the grocery store or to the mall. I miss my family and my house so much, which made being away from home the hardest adjustment.
5. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
But being away from home made me appreciate things so much more. First of all, my mom and I grew closer when I moved away. We talk on the phone at least four times a day, and I tell her everything, from something funny that happened to me and a friend or in one of my classes, to what I think I’m going to have for dinner later. It also made me appreciate my siblings more. While they still get on my nerves a lot, I miss them living down the hall from me and being able to run into my middle sisters room and watch tv with her, or being able to play Barbie’s with my youngest sister when she gets home from school. I also have a growing appreciation for my grandparents who live five minutes away from my house at home, and for the rest of my family who live about an hour way. Being half way across the country means that I miss a lot of family gatherings, like my cousin’s blackbelt test a few weeks ago, or Sunday dinners with my grandparents.