College is one crazy place. No, really, it's fricken insane. And I'm not talking about the partying every night type of crazy, I mean the whole experience, in general. It really is a time unlike any other. It's like the inventors of college said hey, we're going to take these four years and see just how many credits a kid can take in that time period, then add on the excessive partying, greek life, and a new-found sense of freedom.
I do think college, in all its absurdity, should be cherished for what is. But there's no getting around the fact that every day of college is like another test to your humanity. And this, my friends, is coming from a second semester freshman. Three more years of this?!
You might be reading this and saying to yourself, why the heck is this person telling me how crazy college is, when I obviously already know this? Well, my point isn't exactly to tell you how ridiculous college is, but actually to bring up how surprising it is. I think we can all agree that when we wake up every morning, we seriously never know what the day is going to bring. Is the Starbucks line going to extend halfway through campus? Is my professor going to send an email five minutes before class saying her car broke down and class will be cancelled? Am I going to end up going out when I swore to myself I wouldn't?
Okay, those are just some petty things that may catch the average college student off guard. But, in all seriousness, there are numerous things in college that truly surprise me every day. For example, I am surprised by just how difficult it is to be independent. By this I mean cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and other adult tasks. I definitely took my parents for granted, and as the days go on, I just become more shocked by how difficult it is to be a grown up. Also, it's surprising just how much of a struggle it is to be healthy in college. First of all, there's comfort food everywhere, and college students are always in need of comfort food. And second, getting to the gym is a mission, especially in the winter. Another thing that is actually more alarming then surprising is how unmotivated I am to go to class all the time. This mainly applies to the classes that don't take attendance, but regardless, it's an issue.
On a more positive note, there are amazing things that surprise me about college too, like the amount of connections you can make by just being social every day. As soon as I joined my sorority, I gained 200 new friends and connections in one day. Also, I'm surprised by how much life experience you gain from being a college student from day to day. Whether it just be from a new job or becoming a part of a committee, everything you do in college gives you real life experience.
