The day I had to move into college I almost started crying while driving to the campus. I was so scared. Millions of thoughts were flying through my head. What if I don't make any friends? What if I can't find my classes? What if college is too hard for me and I have to drop out and I end up living on the streets for the rest of my life? The worst possible scenarios were running through my head.
Thankfully I had a very social dorm wing so I never became homesick, that was also one of my fears since I was sort of a homebody back in high school. I also had a very knowledgeable, independent roommate who helped me out a lot because before I came to college I wasn't all that independent. College has changed me in so many ways, and it is still changing me today, but freshman year brought some drastic changes that were not always easy but definitely made me a stronger, independent woman.
There are things you will learn about yourself and others that will really surprise you. Things that were "unacceptable" in high school will be completely normal in college, and vice versa. Whether you are a high school senior going to college or already in college, these next four years will be a learning experience in multiple ways.
1. You learn no one is there to take care of you except for yourself.
By the time we are in college we pretty much all understand the importance of good personal hygiene. However, some people seem to think that part of personal hygiene doesn't include doing your laundry. No one is there to tell you to do your laundry and if you are one of those people that let dirty clothes pile up for weeks on end you are going to have a pretty smelly room and a pissed off roommate. Along with laundry, this one seems to be more of a problem I have noticed. CLEAN YOUR ROOM! For real, no one likes a messy roommate and your mother is not there to pick up after you. Your room doesn't have to be spotless, but at the very least keep it somewhat tidy and on your half of the room. Luckily, I've always had very clean roommates but I have friends who haven't and I felt terrible for them, so don't be that person, please.
2. You learn no one cares if you go to class or do your homework.
When we were in high school I'm sure we all had heard teachers and parents say 'no one cares if you show up to class or do your homework.' That statement could not be truer. If you don't feel like going to class one morning, fine, no one is going to make you get out of your warm bed. While it is really nice having no one forcing you to go to class you have to be careful you don't make it become a bad habit because it is really easy for that to happen. Same goes with homework. No one is there to sit you down and watch to make sure you complete all of your homework, but after the first few college exams, you will learn real quick that the professors don't give you homework because they want to make more work for you. In fact majority of the time, they probably will not even collect or grade assignments. It is there for you to do practice problems and study for exams. So if you don't want to take the extra time to do homework then don't but there is a good chance your exam grade will reflect how often you attend class and do homework.
3. You learn routine is best.
The first couple of weeks of college will be the learning stages. Where everything is and how it all works, along with learning and accepting the new college norms versus high school norms. Once you have all that figured out, without even noticing, you will probably slip into a daily routine. Each day of the week may have a different routine because classes will vary but you will roughly be doing the same things around the same time. Routine is good, let it happen. It took me a solid four months before I had a routine I was happy with and worked well for me, but once I found it I noticed my days were much more productive and I had better time management. Schedule specific times of the day dedicated to homework and a specific time of the day that is for working out. College can be super stressful and it is easy to stress eat so make sure you continue to take care of your health.
4. You learn parental permission no longer a thing.
For me personally, this was one of the biggest things I learned. My parents were never super strict. They let me go out and have fun, but we had to ask first and usually there was a curfew. Once you come to college you do not need parental permission to go anywhere or do anything. If you want to go out to a party, go, if you want to stay up until three in the morning, fine do it. No one is there to stop you. I realized this last year as a freshman, but I wasn't really taking advantage of it until this past weekend when I had stayed out until 5 AM both Friday and Saturday night and it was a great reminder of just how much freedom we have once we come to college. It is awesome to have no one controlling you so take advantage of it and have fun.
