College: The freedom, the food, and the never ending essays. Since beginning my freshman year of college I have taken multiple quizzes and written numerous essays but I have also managed to learn a few things in the past few weeks.
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1. Nobody cares.
Okay, so this is true to an extent. At my university, the staff makes it very clear that you are not just a number and that they really do care about you but I mean this in a different sense. This isn't high school, nobody is there to remind you to type up that four-page essay that you have due in an hour. Your school work is all on you. It's your education that you're paying for, not theirs.
2. Don't set a million alarms.
Now if you're like me you set at least 15 alarms to go off every five minutes because let's face it, if you didn't you'd never make it to class on time. But in college, it's different, especially when you're living with a roommate who only sets one alarm and never has to face the battle of the snooze button. Luckily, she has no problem yelling for me to wake up and threatening to spray me with a spray bottle one day. (Love you Andrea, I appreciate you and your efforts! #bestfroomiearound).
3. Order your books ahead of time.
I know on college Pinterest pages they tell you to wait to order your books until after the first week of classes but I can't stress enough how much you should ignore this one little tip. I did that and let's just say it backfired on me..like really backfired. Come the second day after I had visited all of my classes, I already had readings assigned and quizzes scheduled but one thing was missing- my textbooks. Just a piece of advice, don't wait. If your school offers a website where you can see the teachers' syllabi, go and look to see which textbooks are actually required for the course.
4. Your laundry basket will fill up insanely fast.
And you won't have your parents there ready to take care of it for you.. so really keep up with it. I know people make it sound like washing your clothes on campus is a hassle but in reality, it isn't.
5. Don't forget about your laundry.
With my previous statement comes the cautious reminder to never forget that you have clothes in either the washer or dryer. You're occupying space that other people need to get to and honestly it's just not cool. They also may potentially throw your laundry on a table nearby.
6. Believe it or not, it is possible to have fun in college without partying every night.
Whether you're having friends over for a movie night or you go and get pizza with some teammates, you can still have fun without blacking out every other night. Yes, an important part of college is about making memories and having a good time, along with working hard for that 4.0 because, in the end, we're all here for one ultimate goal, but there are numerous ways to have fun.
