College is something I have been looking forward to since middle school. I knew college was going to be so much better than anything I faced in high school. As August came around I thought I was ready for everything my freshman year would throw at me but there were a few things I was surprised to learn.
It is ok to miss home.
Victoria Moriarty
If you would have told me last year that I would have home sickness in college I would have said you were crazy. Now there are times where I actually miss the freezing cold temperatures and the coziness that comes with winter in Chicago (after two weeks of Christmas break though I was ready for those above freezing temperatures in Charleston). What I missed most of all was the feeling you get the first day it is over 50 degrees, and everyone spends their days doing anything and everything outside.
I never would have admitted this last year, but as my freshman year comes to an end I can say that Chicago is not all bad and it is OK to miss where you have come from.
You can be bestfriend with your roommates.
Victoria Moriarty
Maybe I am lucky, or maybe some of my other friends are unlucky, but I can say that my roommates are my absolute best friends.
When trying to find roommates I had all these horror stories of my friends and their roommates from hell scaring me into the idea that just because I might like my roommate when I chose them by the end of first semester I would want to kill them. Thankfully this is was not the case!
Within the first week of classes we felt like we had been friends for years. I never thought some of my best friends would come from two different states, so far from each other.
They are just as crazy as me and maybe that is why we work. We bonded immediately and now do everything together. I would say I definitely did get lucky because I did not have to search hard to fine some forever friends.
You are going to miss your parents.
Victoria Moriarty
WhenI left for college the idea of being fully independent clouded the fact that maybe I would miss having someone taking care of me (just a little bit). I have always been an independent person and am lucky enough to have be close to my parents, which is definitely not alway easy, that is why I was confident I would be fine leaving home.
I can admit now that, at times, I do wish I could go home easily on a weekend and see my family, ESPECIALLY for a home cooked meal.
With that being said, I do thrive off the independence I have and I have no qualms about calling my mom five times a day just to tell her about the show I am watching, or the fact that I slept through my class again.
My friends at home are my family.
Victoria Moriarty
I have known my closest friends for years. I did not think it would be possible to get any closer to them, yet somehow I have. People always tell you that you start to drift from your high school/grammar school friends once you go away to school and I am thankful to say that has not happened to me. Our group chats are still constantly blowing up and I think I know more about their lives now than when I saw them everyday.
You can not beat Chicago food.
Victoria Moriarty
"Chicago has the best food, I heard that all the time from people who moved away and did not appreciate it till I felt the same way. I just thought "Yea alright, there's good food everywhere." After a year of sad pizza and no Portillo's I have become just like those people. After booking flights back to Chicago, I think I look forward to Palermo's pizza and Portillo's Italian Beef Sandwiches more than anything. There are just certain things you can not get anywhere else.
As my first year of college ends I can confidently say that college was everything and more than I expected. I learned so much about myself and my close friends that I didn't realize I needed to know. I am excited to see what other lessons I will unfold throughout my next three years.
