1. The water

I'm not sure if this is just an Athens thing but the water here, specifically the tap water, is disgusting. I can't stand the taste of it, and I'm from Toledo, Ohio which is known for having its spouts of bad water due to algae blooms. No matter what drinking fountain I go to, to fill my water bottle up, the water is warm and tastes like straight metal. I've talked about my ongoing battle with adjusting to the water here with other students who are upperclassmen and they simply respond with, "Oh, you'll get used to it!" I don't want to get used to it, I just want cold, drinkable water.

2. Severe exhaustion

My high school was pretty intense so I know a thing or two about being tired 24/7… or so I thought. I have never been this tired in my life, and I don't know why. I'm getting more sleep throughout the school week than I ever did in high school, usually a solid 6-8 hours, and I still feel like a zombie every single day of the week. By the time the weekend rolls around, I only usually sleep till 9 o'clock and I feel so well-rested, but that's only like an hour more than I usually sleep. By the time I get back from class at the end of the day, I'm usually so exhausted that all I want to do is lay in bed and watch something, but then I have to do homework. And although my homework doesn't usually take that long, finding the brain power to do it is a struggle. Will I ever feel not exhausted? My guess is probably not.

3. Getting myself to go to class

This goes hand-in-hand with the severe exhaustion thing. I know I'm paying what feels like millions of dollars to go to college, but for some reason, I still feel the urge to skip class and relax. On my busy days where one of my classes just doesn't feel necessary, finding the willpower to go and sit there is sometimes like a manhunt. Especially in big lectures where attendance isn't taken, motivating myself to go to class instead of sleep is a challenge. But don't worry mom, I go to class no matter what unless I'm deathly ill and throwing up (which has already happened).

4. The amount of laundry I have to do

Before I came to school I did the occasional load of laundry every week, but the amount of laundry I go through at college is beyond me. I can sometimes fill up my laundry basket in a single day, I don't know how, but it just happens. I don't really change my clothes that often during the day unless I'm really sweaty or uncomfortable, so the fact that I fill up the laundry basket that quickly is insane to me. I don't know if my laundry basket is just small or what, but I'm doing laundry at least twice a week now. So, on Saturdays and Tuesdays, you can find me in the laundry room wondering how I did this to myself.

5. Being told that I ABSOLUTELY need to buy something that I never use

Before anyone asks, yes, I did wait to buy my textbooks until I thought it was necessary to have. I was smart about how I bought them, buying or renting them all digitally. Now, I don't appreciate spending $40 on a slideshow for a class, studying them for an exam, and then not having anything from the slideshow on the exam. I'm sorry, but isn't that why we bought the material? To be able to study from it? I'm annoyed! I just don't understand. On another note, I appreciate professors who don't have you buy anything because they know it won't help you at all, and instead scan PDFs for you of necessary material so you don't have to buy it (you're the best).