The 6 Things We Constantly Need More Of In College Nobody Told Us We'd Miss

When you get to college, they never tell you that you are constantly lacking necessities. Whether its shampoo, a pair of clean underwear, or enough money to buy pizza for dinner, there’s always something. The list of things almost never disappears, and as college students with no money, time, and no sleep, we almost constantly feel like we are chickens running around with our heads cut off.

Even though college is a time were we have “no responsibilities,” it’s overwhelming how much work it takes to even keep yourself alive.

1. Sleep

As young adults, clearly we aren’t going to go to bed at 9 o’clock every night. We want to actually live our lives, and college kids come alive in the night time. This means we are going to sleep anywhere from 12 a.m. - 3 a.m. depending on whether were studying, partying, or binging Netflix. Some of our classes start at 8 AM, some start at 2 p.m., so our body just decides to make us tired 24 hours a day and gives us the ability to sleep until twelve then take a nap at three.

2. Money

No matter how much money you have, almost everyone in college feels like they have none. Paying for yourself is expensive!!!!!!! Should I buy this pizza? Should I buy this tee shirt for Friday night? Probably not because I’ll have $3 in my bank account. Whether we are completely independent or still dependent on our parents, you still recognize that you spend $30 at the bar, $25 on cheesy bread, $50 on your new shirt, and that adds up. Getting a job in college as a full-time student is doable, but then your grades could drop to B’s and that won’t get you into graduate school. I guess I have to eat Ramen every night, oh well.

3. Food

Something I wish more than anything in the world is that I can go to Super Target and buy everything I want. And what I want is more like everything us college students need. Fruits have to go. You can’t afford vegetables. You can't afford that late night pizza. When you go to Target you have to buy things one by one because a receipt higher than $50 will give you a heart attack. Yes, my mini fridge has nothing in it except unfreezable liquids. Eventually, you have to completely regress to Lunchables and Uncrustables, or random things like pickles and strawberries.

4. Time

What do I do all day besides go to class and do homework? I’m not really sure but all I know is that I put my shoes on at 11 a.m. and don’t take them off until 1 a.m. when I put my pajamas on. Occasionally I can look up from my computer screen and catch a glimpse of a Netflix episode playing on my TV, have time to make it to the gym, or give up on getting my life together at 10 o’clock and go out with friends, but this happens rarely.

My grandma wonders why I don’t call her, and I’m not really sure how to explain how I’ve been so “busy” when I went to McDonald's at 2 last night. If only I had more time in the day to sleep, do homework, make it to CVS to pick up cold medicine, or buy that new toothbrush, maybe my life would be a little more on track.

5. Studying

A recent tweet went viral at our local library this week. A student had a mental breakdown and basically started going crazy so another student had to body slam her to the ground after she started to attack him. Not sure of the cause, but spending 13 hours of a 24-hour day studying could quite possibly be the reason. And that 13 hours never seems like enough. How depressing is it that you have to come home from class to physically absorb more knowledge into your brain for the rest of the day then repeat that cycle over and over again. Your brain gets sore and you start to forget you're a human.

6. Friends

Something that we might have, but can always use more of, is friends. Whether you live with 5 of them or 200 of them, they are the most important part of college. They are there to interrupt your sleeping and your studying. Forcing you to go to Target or buy that pizza. They are the ones that make you take time to live. They are the most important part of college and the rest of the details are insignificant compared to the friendships and connections that college brings.