For all those applying to colleges, splurging on gear in anticipation for the upcoming school year, or those struggling in college, there are so many realities that no one seemed to mention in the glory years of high school. If there had been someone to tell about all of the amazing and not-so-amazing things, sometimes I would not be as overwhelmed. There are a few things that everyone should recognize and know about the four best and worst years of your life.

1. There’s so much going on, and so many thing that you should be doing. Whether it’s joining clubs, finishing up essays, applying for summer internships, or just hanging out with friends, you are always doing something. There are only a few days the entire trimester that I have time to myself to sit back, relax, and take a step back from all of the hectic stress that I put myself through every week. The best way to not die or get overwhelmed is to try to say organized, because you will forget about midterms, or job application deadlines. Trust me, we all do.
2. You won’t talk to everyone that you promised that you would as you graduated high school. It’s a sad reality, but as the both of you get busy with school and new friends that you will see everyday, you will slowly forget to snapchat the person you promised to call everyday, or text about the big things. Even though you might not talk to them everyday, does not mean that your friendship is any different. Friendships from high school will adjust and morph as you both change in college.
3. It’s okay to miss your parents. While you are possibly super excited to be free, independent, and have no one hovering over you, I promise you that there will be a moment in the school year, when you realize that going home just for the weekend would be the best thing. My parents are amazing and I am pretty close with them, but even when I went away on sleep away camps for summers, I never missed them the way I do now. Your parents raised you to be who you are, and you will always miss your roots here and there.
4. Going home will never be the same in a way. There will always be one of your friends away for an internship, or someone taking summer classes, or someone who just never comes back. Going home will be bittersweet, as it is the homeland, tied to amazing memories from high school, but it will feel incomplete, as you grow older and older throughout college.
5. Social events, frat parties, mixers, small get-togethers, wherever you go, will always happen. Even at the schools where everyone says have no fun, something is always going on. There will always be an outlet, where on a weekend, you can go out, and have an amazing time.
6. Lastly, do not expect college to be like high school. In high school, you may have been the top student in the grade for physics, or the best scorer for the school’s soccer team. In college, you can still be amazing, but at a lot of the selective schools, there are so many people around you that are amazing, multifaceted, and very talented. In college, you might score an A- on a general chemistry test, but there will be someone or people as good or better than you.

Don’t get me wrong; I love college. As the year comes to an end, I can honestly say it has been the best 9 months of my life. Despite all of the drama, the miserable midterms, and the internship stress, I have changed so much, grown as an individual, and become a greater person out of it. College is scary, suddenly, you’re thrown out into the world, alone, without the cushion your parents may have had for you as you grew up. But realize, you’re not suffering and growing and learning and changing alone.