1. People are disgusting.
You would think that by the time you finally went to college, your peers would have a basic sense of hygiene and cleanliness, you would think wrong. Community bathrooms aren’t really that bad if the people sharing it show basic consideration for the others in the space. All I can say is, learn how to pick up your hair chunks after you shower. I don’t want to look at it, I don’t want to touch it, and I especially don’t want it to cause a water back up in the nasty shared showers.
2. The fire alarm might go off while you’re in the shower.
Yup, this actually happens and it’s awful. Some people choose to just pretend it’s not happening and go on with their shower, but what if the building is really on fire? My recommendation is to bring clothes, your student ID, keys and anything else you might need in the case of a fire alarm with you when you shower. If the fire alarm goes off all you will have to do is put some clothes on and grab your stuff, it’s way easier than scrambling for things and running around in a towel.
3. People will absolutely know you’re a freshman.
Everyone has been warned not to wear their lanyards around campus, but I’m sorry to tell you that’s not the only thing that screams freshman. You will frequently look frazzled, stressed, confused, lost, tired or you’ll be of the excited, bright-eyed variety. Upperclassman will spot you from a mile away, there’s really no escaping it. If it’s any consolation, they probably won’t care about your state of freshmandom, they’re too worried about their own schedules to waste time picking on you.
4. No matter how good the food is, you will probably get sick of it.
I go to UMass Amherst, which has some the the highest quality food and a higher variety of selections to choose from than most other colleges and universities. Believe it or not, even with four dining commons and many other small cafes and food shops on campus, I still find myself getting bored with the food. It’s even worse at smaller universities which tend to offer and fewer dining choices. Whether you get custom rolled sushi from a dining hall like those at Umass, or mystery meat from another university, you will always be excited for a meal from home.
5. You will miss your family.
Sure, you're going to try ti choke back the tears and play it cool when your family leaves, and maybe you'll even be ok for a while. But you will start to miss your family, and you should. When times are rough or when something really exciting happens, your family will be the ones you want to tell first. They'll always be there for you.
6. You will have to fight to get the classes you want.
You’ve probably been waiting most of your academic career to be able to choose your own classes, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Most schools require you to take certain general education classes in order to graduate, so no matter how much you hate chemistry or writing, you still have to take them. Also, if you’re an underclassmen, chances are you get last pick of the courses your first few semesters. Some of the classes you will want to take will be filled with upperclassmen who got to pick classes before you, or maybe they just won’t fit right in your schedule. Not to worry though, the longer you’re at the university, the higher priority you have when choosing classes.