With my first year of college coming to a close, I have been reflecting on my experiences. One thing I happened to notice is I felt very little stress going into my freshman year- as I had experienced a lot of the typical “college” aspects before in my life. Going to summer camp for every summer I can remember prepared me for a lot of things, but college is definitely the number one.

There are just so many shared qualities between the two places. Such as:

1. Dining hall food

Everyone knows that the food at camp and the food at college is not exactly five-star worthy. Growing up eating whatever was being served at every meal and dealing with it definitely made it easier to transition from home cooked meals to college meal options. Everyone has a favorite meal that they get excited to see at the dining halls, and everyone has one they know they’re skipping out on. There’s also the shared fact that, whenever the food was completely inedible, a cup of ramen noodles will always be there for you.

2. Showers

To many non-camp-goers, the concept of wearing shoes in the shower was completely foreign and strange. To those who experienced camp showers, it was a norm. Camp showers definitely set the tone for the quality of showers you can expect at college. They’re not terrible, but they're typically lukewarm and kind of dirty. You probably also have a favorite shower in both places! Maybe one with the best water pressure or one where the curtain is a little more sturdy.

3. Roommates

Camp teaches you how to live with other people for an extended period of time without wanting to rip each other’s hair out. Many people get nervous about the idea of sharing a room with a stranger after having a room to themselves their whole life, but growing up sharing a bunk with three or more girls made having a college roommate not scary or nerve-wracking at all.

4. Packing

There is truly nothing like packing for camp. After a while, it gets easier and easier until you already know exactly what you need to bring without having to even glance at a checklist. When it came to packing for college- it was a piece of cake. Already had the big luggage and already knew just how much could be squeezed into it. The unpacking, though, is the best part.

5. Homesickness

This is probably the most important thing sleep away camp teaches everybody. Many people who went off on their first year of college had never spent more than a few days away from home. Sleep away camp allows people to go away for up to two months with little contact from their families at the ages of 7 or even younger. Of course everyone still gets homesick once in a while, but after spending so many summers away it just wasn’t as big of a shock.

6. Community

College and camp are both big communities. Both are places where so many people feel at home and feel connected to. That means a lot! There’s an incredible sense of pride that comes along with both, and seeing anyone repping your camp or college can make it feel like you know a person without even speaking a word to them.

7. Lifelong friends

Camp friends are forever the same way that people say your college friends are forever. When you spend so much time with people and you basically live with them, there’s a bond that is indescribable. So many amazing memories come from both places and getting to experience them with people

8. Not wanting to leave

When summer comes to an end, it’s torture to have to leave your second home and go back to school. Now, it’s torture to leave school. College has easily become yet another home away from home that is hard to say goodbye to.

Camp and college are two very important places that will have everlasting impacts on my life. The similarity of the two only make both more special. It is also a plus that so many people from my camp happen to also go to my college- S/O to Surprise Lake Camp and Binghamton University!