WARNING: This is what your brain looks like in college:
Why didn’t anyone warn me? College is hard, like really really hard. I knew it was going to be hard but not in the ways I thought. I thought the only struggle I would have to deal with was classwork and not binge eating ramen but sadly this is not the case. Not only do you have to study, read your textbooks, write a paper every week, and put toilet paper down on the seat every time you have to do a number two (which gets extremely annoying).
But you have to deal with yourself, you have to make friends, you have to gain confidence, and you have to watch your habits. Taking care of yourself is hard when you’re uncomfortable most of the time and you’re constantly surrounded by alcohol and buffets for every meal. In a scenario like college you will most likely end up drinking and eating too much for the first couple weeks or months, it honestly depends on how stable you are. It’s human nature to pick the thing that’s bad for you, not sure what society expected with that one!
If you’re not careful you could graduate drunk and fat with a debt bigger than your future. Eventually you do get a little bit of a grip on things, unless you’re pulling a bald Britney Spears in ‘07, it’s actually not all bad. What is bad is living with a bunch of strangers and having to deal with people 24/7. I never appreciated privacy more than I do in college. Sometimes you just don’t want to deal with anyone. There are two times when you want to be alone the most, when you are in the bathroom and at 8 am. In these detrimental times you just genuinely don't want people to talk to you or even look at you.
Things get really annoying really fast here and the most minor things will really set you off. For example, if you walk all the way to the school cafe for a caramel macchiato and the cashier tells you the machine broke you will probably throw a temper tantrum. Keeping your cool isn’t so easy when you are in a constant state of “I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this”.
It is also annoying to have to always be clothed, at home you can walk around in your underwear without a care in the world. In college, if you are in bed and you want to leave the room for some water it becomes a big hassle. You have to actually put onpants (I know, shocking) and get ready for the horror of possibly seeing people and it becomes a major dilemma. And I am very angry about how no one warned me about the amount of walking. I should’ve spent the entire summer doing 5k's or taking hikes because my legs are hanging onto a very thin string. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was walking to class and they just snapped.
I can’t stress it enough but college is just hard. I was in shock when I realized what I was in for. For these reasons, I decided i’m going to send out a public service announcement about how the downward spiral called college plays out. Because nobody warned me and I don’t think that’s fair. When there is a major earthquake or hurricane coming the news warns who it is going to affect. So here is how “Hurricane College” is going to hit you:
Week 1: “Okay this is weird but fun, i'm going to parties and having a good time. I could get use to this and I kind of feel like an adult, college actually isn’t so bad.”
Week 2: “I think I'm having fun but I'm not really sure. I'm eating so much, there is food everywhere. I’m constantly eating and small talk is getting a little exhausting. I’m starting to really not care where you are from or what your name is.”
Week 3: “Everything hurts. I’m walking too much. I feel like I need major leg surgery. I feel like I’m doing everything wrong. I really don’t want to shower with flip flops on. Am I gaining weight? What does my body look like?”
Week 4: “I’m crying a lot and I miss my dog more than my parents. I think I want to transfer. I need to go the gym, eat healthy, do all my homework, but instead I think I’ll put it off until I run out of youtube suggestions.”
Week 5: “Kill me.”
Week 6: “Still alive but I’m barely breathing.”
In all seriousness, college is genuinely rough. You’re living the easiest and most comfortable life for 18 years and then all of the sudden reality beats the shit out of you. It literally comes out of nowhere and even though you knew it was coming it really takes you by surprise. Life is scary and there is a lot to deal with. You have to stay true to yourself and be strong.
Put yourself out there and work hard. Be persistent and don’t give up, surprisingly it pays off. It is only the second month and I know I have grown and that I have things to work on. You have to struggle to become who you really are and I can only hope that all of this is worth it. Life isn’t meant to be easy and if it is you are probably doing something wrong. In the meantime, dance a lot, play with pugs, and take a shot.
