As my freshman year of college has come to an end and have returned home for the summer, I begin to reflect back on some of the things that I thought would be true coming into college. Because I have many friends who are about to start college in the fall, or just want to reminisce on their first year away from home, I thought I'd share the expectations I had coming in. But to my surprise, many of the things I thought would happen within my freshman year actually didn't take place. Here are four aspects of college I totally thought would happen, but didn't.
1. The friends you make during Freshman Orientation or Welcome Week will most likely not be your best friends throughout the rest of the year.
I can't even remember how many people I had met during Freshman Orientation. The number of new phone numbers I had entered in my phone overwhelmed me and the thought of being around almost thousands of new faces definitely gave me anxiety.
Although I had met so many people and bonded over what TV shows we had both watched or what we were excited to do during the school year, I didn't find people I had clicked with until the middle of the school year, and that is totally OK! Some people find great friends during orientation, but don't get discouraged if you don't because it can be an awkward and uncomfortable time meeting so many new faces.
2. Your roommate does not have to be your best friend.
I came into college thinking that my roommate and I were going to be best friends, soulmates, and the only person I was going to hang out with. However, I was completely wrong.
I realized that as long as we can comfortably live together, respect each other's space, and agree on things like keeping the room clean or taking out the trash, then everything will be okay. Not being best friends with my roommate forced me to leave my room, join campus organizations, get a job, and meet many people along the way.
3. You will get sick of On-Campus Dining by the end of the school year.
While the first weeks of college can be extremely exciting and going to the dining hall with your friends for the first time is a memory that I vividly remember, the food gets old. Although many schools have a variety of stations and on-campus eateries to choose from, after you've tried everything, the food simply gets repetitive, as the school year comes to an end, you begin to count down the days where you don't have to eat there anymore.
4. Wearing a Lanyard basically screams “I'm a freshman!"
Once students commit to a college they're going to attend in the fall, many people tend to buy a lanyard with their school name all over it and attach their keys to it. However, once you get to school and have your room key and I.D. card attached to it and put it around your neck, it basically just screams “I'm a freshman," because nobody else does this after freshman year.
My best advice would be to get one of those back of the phone card cases and stick your I.D. card in there. If your school gives you a physical room key, attach one of your favorite key chains or a bracelet to your keys to give it some personality.
