While in high school, I could not wait to be able to leave my hometown and be able to go to college. I was ready to be away and start being independent. My parents wanted me to stay at home and go to a Community College first, but staying home was not on my radar. I wanted to get away and that's what I did. I now attend one of the most loving campuses (and will be graduating in December). My campus has become my home and I know leaving here in December will be extremely difficult for me.
Although I love my school and would not have wanted to go anywhere else, there are a few things I wish I had known before attending college. Here are 10 things I have learned the hard way in college: experiencing them has truly made me into the person I am today.
10. It Is Hard To Be Away From Home
Regardless of the fact that I just stated I wanted to leave my home, it was not until I got to college that I realized just how hard it is to be away from your family. Even though I was ready to leave, I did not know that I was going to get homesick and not want to stay in school. I called my parents almost every day my first semester of college (sometimes there were even tears involved).
9. Don't Stay On Campus All The Time
This is part of the reason I was homesick. I never left campus. My first semester I went to class, to the dining hall and back to my room. It was not until I started adventuring around the town and surrounding towns that I really became comfortable at school.
8. People Will Respect You If You Choose Not To Drink
This was hard one for me to wrap my head around because my friends from high school started drinking before I even tried alcohol which resulted in us drifting apart. So when it came to my college friends, I was afraid to tell them that I did not drink. But once I did, they were extremely supportive. They never once judged me for never trying alcohol before college and neither did the other people I met along the way.
7. You Will Meet So Many New Connections
This is HUGE! I cannot stress this enough. Making connections will be better for your future. It is true when they say "You never know who you could be talking to." I am not saying that you need to be dressed up all the time and ready for interviews whenever you meet someone new but it is important to know that people you meet in college will help you in the future when trying to get a job.
6. Everyone You Meet Has Something To Teach You
When starting college, you are meeting so many new people that it is very hard to keep track of them all. But what I wish I knew is that every single person you come in contact with during your years at college will teach you something about yourself or even the world in general.
5. Be Prepared For The Roller Coaster Ride Called Your Life
While in college, you will be on an emotional roller coaster. Life is changing all around you from the moment you step foot on campus to the moment you walk across the stage. Life tends to just get in the way sometimes and that is okay. Your mental health and well-being comes before anything else. If something happens in your life, remember you cannot control it. Life happens. There is no way around it.
4. It Takes Time To Find Who Your Real Friends Are
This is important. The people you meet in college may be some of your best friends and the people you stay in contact with for the rest of your life. I have met the greatest and most influential people in my life during my years in college. My friends from college have become family. I could not be more okay with who I have met. They truly are the most amazing people ever.
3. You WILL Lose Touch With Those Friends From High School That You Thought You Would Be Friends With Forever
As sad as it is, it is true. I maybe stay in touch with one or two people from high school on a regular basis. But I am not sad about it. People grow and change all the time. You constantly find new interests and you will constantly find people who are also interested in the same things. It does suck to know that when you go home from college, that you do not have as many people to hang out with since you lost touch, but your friends from college are more than likely going through the same thing. Losing friends happens but there is always room for new friends and new faces in your life. Do not stress if this happens. Not everyone you meet is meant to stay in your life forever.
2. Who You Were In High School Will Not/Does Not Have To Be Who You Are In College
People change all the time, as I previously just said. Just because you held a certain standing in high school does not mean that you have to continue that while attending college. You will not be the same person that graduated high school when you graduate college. College changes you into the person you have always aspired to be.
And finally...
1. College Will Fly By
College will go by so fast. I have been in college for four years and IT DOES NOT FEEL LIKE IT. There are many times I have to keep reminding myself that in just a few months I will be entering the real world. If you think high school is going by or went by quickly, just remember college goes by so fast. Make it count.
