College is an interesting time for anyone who goes. I started at a Christian college this year, and before I went, there were a few things I would liked to have known before I came. The things that no one tells you, the things that you find out the hard way. I’m going to let y'all in on a few things that I learned over the past semester.
1. DON’T FALL INTO THE FRESHMAN TRAP!!
This may be the most important of them all. In high school, you can do most of your projects in one or two days, you can write a paper overnight, you can put off homework until the last minute. In college, you can’t do that. I did that and ended up almost failing. Don’t do it. Do the homework that you want to put off. Do it now. All nighters are so bad for you, girl. Do that stuff now. You can talk to your friends later.
2. Not every boy you see will be your husband in the future.
You may laugh, but this is something I struggled with in my first semester. I saw every boy and said, “What if he's the one?” I felt like Ana in Frozen right before the party, and she was not in the best place. She was so obsessed with finding “the one” that she chose the wrong one and ended up being used. Don’t fall into this trap. Don't get me wrong, if you find a good guy, go for it, but don't be so obsessed with guys that your grades slip.
3. Pray, pray, pray.
Literally, prayer is your life. Without prayer, life goes downhill, and not the kind that is fun to sled on. I'm talking about the kind of downhill that leads to Satan. People that don't pray end up hurting so much that prayer is their last resort, but if you make it the first resort, you don't have to worry about stooping so low you need a last resort. Just pray. Don’t find time? Make time. Just do it.
4. You are not alone.
You feel alone. Every day. You’re not alone. That math homework that is suffocating you? Unless you’re the only one in the class (you’re not), you’re not alone. The boy that is ignoring all of your texts and snapchats, you're not alone. The friend that is too busy to talk to you right now, yeah. You’re not alone. Someone else is crying over their math homework. Someone else is being ignored too. Someone else feels blocked out by their friends. You’re not alone.
5. You don’t have to do everything.
You don’t. There will be events after events, especially if you’re involved with clubs. Here at school, I am in a social club (the equivalent of fraternities and sororities), sign language club, and the university chorale. I have devotionals, prayer groups, meetings, bonfires (without actual fires because drought), hangouts, and everything one can think of, on top of my homework, keeping my room clean, and taking care of myself. It’s a lot on someone’s plate, but I have to learn to say no, and not to do everything. It is okay to say no.
6. Don’t take anything before 9:30.
You may want to do it because you want to get your classes over, but I promise you that you will sleep through it at least one time. Just don’t do it. Unless you get up at 6am without an alarm clock every day, don't do it. It’s a bad idea. Leading from this goes in to my seventh and final point.
7. DO NOT SKIP CLASS for any reason that would not be excused in high school.
If you are in the hospital, or if your family member passed away, or if you have a separate class that takes priority, okay, but do not skip class unless you have to. You’ll be so tempted. So tempted. Don’t do it. You pay to be there for a reason, and you should go to make the most of your payments. Just go to class. Go to class.
These are some things I’ve learned since I’ve been here. College is so fun, and you’ll have the time of your life, but these are things that I learned, and I hope you can learn from them.
Stay God’s, y’all!
