Congratulations! If you're reading this, and you're a student at Indiana University, you're most likely done with finals and are officially on summer vacation!
Whether you're graduated or just moving on to the next school year, it's something to celebrate - college is hard and you just got through another year, seriously, go you. Finishing up my freshman year, I'm going to be cheesy for a second and say that I've learned a lot. It's been crazy fun, just plain crazy and ridiculously stressful, but it's definitely been a hell of a year.
I know you were wondering, so here are 10 things (some funny, some serious) I've learned that may or may not necessarily be academic-related (it's summer, we don't wanna think about that stuff anymore, do we?).
1. You won't always get along with your roommate.
I went random when I applied for housing back in August. I knew it wouldn't be perfect, but little did I know we wouldn't end up getting along at all. It was good at first, but once we lived together for a little while, it just got more tense.
What I learned from going random is that it's hard to be friends with your roommate(s). Letting the living situation trump the actual friendship can be dangerous. This is something to think about as I go into living in an apartment over the summer and for the next school year with my best friend from home.
2. Going to parties that have rides provided is very important.
If you've ever gone to a frat party that doesn't provide pledge rides, then you know the struggle. Most of the time this doesn't happen, but for some of those obscure, off-campus fraternities, there aren't rides, so you're forced to Uber your way home, which not only can get expensive, but who knows who's driving those cars?
Walking isn't an option because they frown upon that, so you either Uber or take a pledge ride if we're talking about a frat party. Make sure, when you get yourself to a party if you have to go out, that you know you have some type of ride home from.
3. Drink lots of water- all the time.
It seems dumb, 'cause we need water to survive and stuff, but this campus is huge. If you don't have a water bottle in your backpack or in your hand then you're doing something wrong. I didn't realize until my first long week of trekking to class that I should be drinking more water (and taking more Ibuprofen).
4. You will always miss home, even if you're positive you won't.
I didn't think I'd miss home because I was never necessarily attached to the idea of home. I was always really excited, and I mean really excited, about living on my own in the dorms. I was wrong. I missed my mom, my dad, my little brothers and even my animals more than I was willing to admit. It got so bad to where I kept my job at home in Carmel and drove the hour and a half every weekend of first semester to work. That way at least I saw my work family pretty often.
5. You won't keep the same friends that you met on the first day/week.
At orientation, at your first floor meeting or during your welcome week activities, you want a person or a group to hang out with, but you won't always keep that group or person close. I had a group of friends my first few weeks here, and we just eventually stopped talking. That's normal, I think. You want to make friends so quickly that you don't realize these people aren't the kind you necessarily want to keep around all year (or all four years). Later in the year, though, I met some girls that changed my entire college experience for the better. Shoutout to you guys.
6. I learned not to wear the lanyard/backpack they give you at orientation.
This is the only 100 percent guaranteed way to tell everyone, "HEY! I'm a freshman."
7. Food past midnight really becomes a necessity.
Yes, eating late at night isn't very good for you, but when you're studying (or writing your Odyssey article) until really late (or really early), ordering from delivery services or Pizza X that doesn't close until 4 a.m. is very important.
8. Office hours are seriously helpful.
I'm sorry for bringing up school right now (*cringe*), but if you're reading this and you're about to graduate from high school and maybe on your way to college in the fall, then let me tell you that office hours are absolutely the best thing your professors do for you. Yes, you have your professors once, twice, maybe three times a week, but that's not enough time to learn everything. You have to take your own time and visit your professors during office hours, because it becomes incredibly useful.
It also helps you down the road if you ever need a letter of recommendation.
9. The 'Freshman 15' is real but avoidable.
During your first semester of freshman year, you're bound to put on a few pounds. Even if you're an avid exerciser, you will not have as much time as you did in the past to work out. I started slowly adding a day, then two days, and so on to go to the gym for at least an hour just to burn some calories and build some muscle. Eating healthy isn't really that easy with dining hall food and meal points, but you can do your best. There is fruit everywhere.
10. And finally: life goes on.
A lot of shit will go down during a year of college, no matter what year you are, how old you are, who you're friends with or who you're dating. There will be things you will regret and things you'll never forget, and usually those things end up being both. It's hard to come to the realization that most of these things just don't matter after the fact.
Be safe, be optimistic, and everything else is just background noise.
