Every high school senior counts down the days until their graduation, and then until the day they finally get to start college. We see it in all the movies and think that it will be the best thing in the world, so much better than high school. Not having class every single day, the parties, online classes, the professors "don't care enough to take attendance". You're so excited to get this new journey started, until it actually starts and all you do is wish there was a pause button so you can catch up to all your misconceptions. Here are just a few of the hardest things about being a college freshman.
1. Leaving Your Friends And Family
Whether you're going across the country or an hour away from home, it's still ridiculously hard to leave behind your family and friends, even if you don't think it will be. Being away from my family and two year boyfriend is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, even though I am home every single weekend. But what's even harder is being apart from my two best friends, who are attending different colleges, because I don't get to see them every weekend. It's probably the hardest part of the transition, especially coming from a small town because chances are you've been around the same people you're entire life.
But regardless of if you live in a small town or a big city, leaving behind the people you see every single day and moving to a place where you know maybe one or two people is extremely hard, upsetting, and very, very stressful.
2. Having A Stranger As A Roommate
A lot of people go to college with a friend so that they don't have to room with a stranger, but more than not these days students are getting placed with complete strangers. Now even though there's a pretty good chance you're completely safe, if you're anything like me your very first thoughts will be scenes from The Roommate. And if that's not bad enough then you get to worry about whether or not their bedspread will match yours and if y'all will even be able to stand each other.
You'll do the crazy, obsessive Facebook stalking and try to find anything you can that will tell you something about the person you will spend every night with for the next nine-months. And when you finally get to meet you'll realize you probably have a million misconceptions of the person and not a single truth, so you get to stress out all over again, while trying to get them to like you.
3. Finding Your Way Around Campus
Chances are your high school was a two, maybe three-story building with mostly straight halls, including the cafeteria, gym, library, and other amenities. But in college there's around thirty buildings, some three-four stories high, with a hundred turns, and a million classrooms and your wondering how in the world will you ever find where you need to go. And then you ask a sophomore or junior where your class is and they can tell you down to the exact classroom and your thinking they must have a map somewhere that they study every single night.
Even at the fourth week of school you have to leave early for class so you'll have at least five minutes to walk down every hall looking for the room number that corresponds with the one on your schedule on the cell phone in your hand, and then when you find it you still have to ask the students if you're at the right class because you can't recognize more than one or two faces.
4. All The Different Websites
Colleges are now trying to innovate 21st Century Technology into classes any possible way they can, but maybe they're taking it a little too far?
The amount of different websites you have to use for your classes is overwhelming to any student. Every teacher wants you to use a different website, on top of the one the school itself instructs them to use. Not to mention your own school site, the site used for your rooming assignments and dorm announcement, and a lot of groups are using Facebook, GroupMe, and other social media as a way to contact students. And although using the internet and social media can be extremely efficient, it's kind of hard to keep up with what you're supposed to be checking and when if you're a college freshman drowning in websites.
5. Dealing With Your Attendance Misconceptions
"WHAT?! They actually DO take attendance???" Yes, they actually do. And it actually matters. Remember that FAFSA everyone complains about? Well, guess what? If you don't attend class, they'll take what little money they gave you away. And not only that but you'll have to pay them back for what has already been used! So, I'd suggest going to class.
Not only because of your Financial Aid but because some teachers actually give points, or the lack there of, for showing up to class, or not. They also might give you surprise assignments, and just because they say everything is online, doesn't mean it actually is.
