If you haven’t already learned by now, college is much different compared to the structure of high school. In college you have the freedom to walk out of class or not even come for as many days as you can without failing. Although, I advise you not be the person who begs the classmate they met on the first day of school for the majority of the semester’s notes.
In college you get the first taste of adulthood, the freedom of being able to make your own decisions and you can enjoy the benefits of what the college life has to offer. However, in this newfound journey you learn early on what I call the unspoken but understood rules of college.
1. If you’re not struggling you’re not doing it right. Whether physically, emotionally or financially, everyone is facing some type of stress. Maybe finals week disguised itself a bit early in the semester, or like most college students, the financial aid office gives you no choice but to walk out in the crosswalk for a chance at free tuition! We’re all just students trying to figure out life and college is a guaranteed opportunity of the multiple attempts it’ll take.
2. Every person for themselves. With the privilege of being on your own comes the responsibility of providing food, clothing and doing the tasks all of our Mom’s hope we learned somewhere in the last eighteen years or so. In college, no one is here to teach you or remind you of what you have to do. So if you accidentally leave your laundry at a friend’s place, expect them to be wearing your clothes along with a half empty laundry hamper the next time you see them.
3. Your seat on the first day is your seat for the rest of the semester. You’d think in kindergarten people were the most particular about where they wanted to sit. However, if you’ve been in a packed lecture class of 300 students, you know people strive to get that same seat EVERYTIME. Oh, and trust me, they memorize the exact row and seat number. The glare is unmistakable, which makes the unspoken seating chart very much understood among college campuses.
So with these ‘unspoken’ rules being said, I hope you’re ready to face the rest of your college journey in relief knowing we’ve all been there. When you can't find anything to wear so you put on the same thing from yesterday because nobody in your Wednesday classes sees you on Tuesday. Or when you’re just craving that chicken sandwich on a Sunday but Chick-fil-A is closed. There’s always humor to be found in this stage of life.
