Finals are done. After months of being away, I'm home for the first extended period of time since the summer. I've finished my first semester of college, and I simultaneously have this feeling of relief that I actually made it through and a feeling of confusion at how it all could have gone by so fast. For better or for worse, my first semester of college has definitely taught me a few things, and, well, here they are. These are the lessons you can expect from your first semester in college.
It's not what you expect. I don't care what your expectations are for college, they cannot possibly be 100 percent accurate, and that's actually a good thing. In a lot of ways, not knowing what I was really getting myself into was one of the best things about going to college.
It's important to branch out. This was easy for me since I went to a school where I knew virtually no one, but I think this rings true for people who went to college with people from high school. A big part of new experiences is meeting new people, and with the difference in circumstances in college you become friends with a different set of people than you would have in high school. I know that my group of friends now is almost nothing like the one I had back home, but I wouldn't change either of those groups for anything.
But there's no shame in constants or familiarity. I think when I went to college I had this idea in my head that I would be someone else entirely and that I was leaving everything from home behind me. I was immediately shocked at just how much I missed everything familiar. There is no shame in keeping in close contact with old friends or wanting to talk to your mom a lot.
You don't have to grow up all at once. For most of us, college is the first time we've ever really lived on our own and been responsible for ourselves. It isn't easy. Even if you think you've got all the bases covered like being an expert at doing your own laundry or being a capable cook, there's still a transition aspect to living on your own with strangers compared to with a family who has known and loved you your whole life. If it doesn't come naturally at first, it's OK. You'll figure it out.
You can't have FOMO at college. I know that the moment I arrived on campus I wanted to do everything: take classes I loved, go out every night, attend all sorts of events on campus and in the city, and keep myself in shape while doing it all. You can't do it. College has so many wonderful opportunities and it's actually impossible take all of them. Pick what you love and prioritize what's important to you. Don't miss out on having fun because you're so caught up with coursework. But don't skip out on writing a history paper to go to a party. Find the balance. It seems cliché advice, but clichés are clichés because they're true.
On that note, study. You will have to. I don't care how smart you think you are. Personally, I breezed through high school, putting minimal effort into my classes and still came out with a stellar GPA. I learned very quickly that that mentality wasn't going to work out well for me in college. To be quite honest, this might be a mistake everyone has to learn the hard way, because I definitely didn't listen when everyone else gave me this advice, but oh well.
You need to get out of your comfort zone. This is different for everyone because everyone has a different type of comfort zone, but I think one of the most important things to do in college is to try and do things that you wouldn't have before. Not everything will work out, for instance, I will never do power yoga again, and some things have definite drawbacks -- that foam party I went to ended up getting half of campus sick -- but some things will end up being your favorite memories (and most of those I'm not going to put in this article).
It's not easy, but it's worth it. No doubt when you see all your friends' smiling pictures on social media from this semester you're bound to think that college is all rainbows and sunshine. And it's not. I think I made that pretty clear above. But it's so worth it. With all the lessons I learned this semester, the most important one was that this is where I'm meant to be. I've got friends who I've only known several months, but it feels like a lifetime. I've got plans to study abroad. I ended up making an A in the class that taught me to study. I know better how to manage my own mental health. And I'm happy and really excited to see what next semester is going to bring.
