Freshman year of college is one of the most memorable things that will happen in your life. For as long as you can remember, you've been working toward this, and now it's here. You've had years upon years to harvest so many expectations about what your new chapter in life will hold for you. As you walk onto campus for the first time as a student, as you settle in in the small dorm room you will call home, here are some honest truths about what freshman year will hold.
It will be hard.
Most high schools these days don't prepare you for college. Workloads are jokes and AP classes are nowhere close to a college class. Don't let that scare you however, because classes in college are doable! You will find there are some classes that come easier to you, and others where you have to work harder than you ever have before just to pull a B. After first semester, you may see friends at other schools boasting about their 4.0 and you are looking at your barely 3.0, but don't get discouraged! Many universities fluff freshman grades, but take pride that Auburn isn't one of them! The grade you get is the grade you earn.
You will be lonely.
Everyone says this about freshman year but you never understand it until you are sitting smack dab in the middle of it. When you walk into freshman year, you walk out of a community where you pretty much know everyone. You are now in a place where you know few to no one, and it's scary! We build up these expectations to meet your best friend for life on move in day and when it doesn't happen, you get discouraged. There will be many nights you're sitting alone in your dorm room thinking everyone is out having fun with their new friends and you have no one. Trust me when I tell you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Talking about my freshman year two years later and telling people how lonely I was, nine times out of 10 they tell me that they felt the exact same way. If you didn't meet your group of friends the first week of classes, don't worry. They will come! Find organizations that you are passionate about or are interested in joining and go hang out in places that you love, because that is where you will meet your best friend.
You will miss home.
The first semester is the toughest when it comes to homesickness. You have been thrown into this new life away from the norm you have known for 18 years, and you're having to learn how to be on your own and become an adult. It's scary and it makes us want to go back to the comfortable life we knew before. It's OK to miss home, but look ahead into the new chapter of life you are in and all that is in store for you. Don't let yourself get stuck in high school. In college you will learn who your true friends are, you will learn more about yourself than you knew possible, you will meet people that will be in your life forever and you will have endless adventures. Keep looking forward and soon the past will be in the past.
You will have the time of your life
College is really the best time of your life. Don't let one little thing discourage you. Always say yes to an adventure or trying something new. Step out of your comfort zone and learn about the world and culture around you. Find something you are passionate about and believe in it. Some of your best memories will be when you stay in on a Friday night with a movie, bowl of popcorn and your best friends.
