Growing up I learned a lot, everyone does. But how much a person grows up is based on the experiences they live through. I was curious to see what progress I made on my own. So, I decided I would come up with a list of things that I learned in my first year of college.

Also, some of these were totally things my mother said to me multiple times growing up that I didn’t realize until later!

Sorry, mom!

P.S. Enjoy the comics that my close friend Emily Praught and I made for this week!

1. Doing laundry is freaking expensive

Take advantage if you can do laundry at your house, especially if it’s free! The one thing I will always complain about until I have my own washer and dryer is that I have to pay for my laundry and that I have to haul it elsewhere. It’s ridiculous how expensive it gets and how quickly it adds up! I can’t complain too much, I did come from an apartment complex with 6 apartments and only one washer and dryer... At three bucks a load! So, thank you ISU, for providing me with *slightly* better laundry experiences.

2. Friday is DEFINITELY part of the weekend

Okay, this one I think you definitely learn in high school. As soon as that clock lets you out of your last class on Thursdays or Fridays, you are home free! By technical definition, Friday is part of the weekend! It’s lame and not super important but hey, it’s something I have learned since I have been in college and utilize as much as I can. Enjoy the time you are given and use it to its fullest potential!

3. Once you start working, you can't stop

If you’re able to have a job while you’re in college, do it! The one thing I wish I had through my entire first year of college was a job, even just part-time. A job equals money. Broke college students need money!

4. You are responsible for your school and homework

When it came to high school, I was your average C or B student, nothing great. But by the time senior year came and my GPA wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I had to light a fire under my butt to get my grades where they should’ve been. So here I am! Now that I am on my own and responsible for my actions, I try to keep that fire burning. There are a lot of professors that either care about their students, or they don't. I learned that the hard way!

5. You most likely won't talk to anyone who you went to high school with

I have come to realize and started to accept that you will most likely not talk to the people you went to high school with. While there are some cases where you are indeed, ‘best friends for life’, it’s most common that you don’t really talk to anyone from high school. I recently ended up not being friends with someone who I thought would be in my life forever, it was almost as bad as a messy sitcom divorce!

6. Slowly, but surely, you Learn who your real friends are

It's a given you make new friends wherever you go, especially when you go off to college, but it’s a good thing because of this factor—You learn who your real friends are. You’ll make some and you’ll lose some but that’s okay. In the end, you’ll have the people that matter most. I know that I've made some of the most amazing friends I could ever ask for, and since they are all part of a larger group, my circle of friends is forever expanding. To the people that took me in as their own, thank you, and I love you!

7. You start to find who you are

You also find out who YOU really are. Something I struggled with growing up was trying to figure out who I really was, and who I wanted to be. I strongly believe that most kids grow up looking for who they are and not discovering it. Even medically, you discover things you never knew about. I found out that I have two different thyroid diseases, I am anemic, I have depression and anxiety, and have celiac disease. It added to my list of responsibilities. When you're on your own, you realize and learn how to take care of yourself, and eventually, other people too. Discovering who you are is the most important part of your adventure through life!