Looking back on my first year of college, I feel like I have accomplished a whole lot. I battled the struggles of recruitment, found my way around campus, learned how to survive living three hours away from my family, and some unique struggles that only college kids can relate to.
Dress Code
My first week of college I thought I was going to dress up and wear cute clothes to class everyday...boy was I wrong. The only struggles I face when getting ready in the morning is worrying about if my t-shirt goes with the Nike shorts I have on. Some days I even roll out of bed and wear what I slept in. Nobody judges you. It's great.
It's suddenly cool to care about school
In high school I remember having to hide the fact that I studied for four hours to make an A. Here in college, however, we brag about staying up all night or how we studied non-stop and drank ten Starbucks coffees and two red bulls. It's not frowned upon to care about school now. That's why we are all here.
Naps. Tons and tons of naps
Anyplace, anytime. I literally have walked by a girl napping in a chair...in the middle of the library. Naps are life savers after a draining day of life, and what better way to avoid responsibilities than take a nap.
Food
The only thing I can say that I've learned about college meal plans is: Don't eat it if you can't tell what it is. Freshman year I had an unlimited meal plan that basically consisted of hamburgers and pizza (the freshman 15 IS real). Highly recommend ramen and mac & cheese, which is basically the best invention since electricity. Microwaveable ramen and mac & cheese basically saved my life when I didn't want to eat at the MAX (MAXatives), but be careful and be sure to always put water in your mac & cheese. You may think that this doesn't apply to you because you're a smart college kid, but it happens. The last thing you want is your delicious bowl of cheesiness catching on fire in the microwave, setting the fire alarm off and causing your entire dorm to evacuate; all because you forgot to put water in it. Yes, that happened to my dorm last year, so just put water in it. End of story.
Winning the lottery aka finding a study room
Have you ever seen the Hunger Games? Finding a study room is basically winning those games. You have not seen a college kid so aggressive until you have seen them running to get that study room. We take it seriously. So. very. seriously. Students will literally run over other students if it means a whole cubic quiet room in the library to themselves. It's precious. Believe me.
Most importantly, it's okay to miss home
College kids are so emotionally unstable that we sometimes cry when we see dogs. It's because we are trying to figure out life on our own. It's okay to be homesick. My mom would call me to say hi to my dog, which made me cry. It's okay. It makes us appreciate the love and care that our parents provide us with even more. I mean sure, college is fun, but home isn't so bad. Our appreciation for family back home skyrockets once we are away. College is fun and all, but I still miss my mom.
College students are basically like kindergartners in a sense, but we will get through it together.
