Before I left for college, it's safe to say that I was a complete wreck. Senior year felt like it absolutely flew by--that one day I was in art class and the next I had a diploma in my hand. With everything going so fast, I quickly realized that I knew nothing about being a grown up. Pretty much, I was just as equipped as an infant. There were so many questions I had, so many worries just hanging out in my head. Really, the only thing that I could do was wait and see what life had in store for me. Sure, this past year felt like I was thrown out of the nest, but in all honesty, I needed it.

1. Less is more

During my freshman year of college, I was put in a suite-style dorm with three other girls. My roommate and I shared a tiny kitchen and bathroom with two girls whom we didn’t know prior to school. Getting along with them wasn’t the problem, though; four girls shopping was. After a long summer of dorm shopping, we came to college with enough stuff to stock up 4 dorm rooms. I personally brought 5 sets of string lights to decorate the room with. At the end of the week, we had so much extra that we didn’t know what to do with them. Even now in the second semester I find myself shamefully hiding useless things we didn't need. It's hard knowing what to buy when your mom isn't telling you "no" to that brand new fish tank you really don't need (sorry, dad.)

2. Doing the dishes

In this day and age, kids don’t see dishwashers as a convenience anymore. In fact, most of us are so used to plopping our dirty dishes in the washer that it’s basically second nature. So when my roommates and I showed up to school, we half-expected our dishes to clean themselves. At one point, we started using plastic utensils instead of just washing our silverware. It took us accidentally melting our plastic utensils over the stove to finally put ourselves in action. Still, even today when I was creating a soap bath for the dishes, I came back into the kitchen and saw the bubbles water falling out the sink and onto our floor. Traditional days: 1, millennials: 0.

3. Laundry

If I had to count the times I visited the Wiki-how laundry page on my hands, I would need more hands. Even after my mom stocked me up on those handy dandy soap pods, I still found ways to mess up. We've all had our fair share of shrunken shirts, ruined fabric and especially the stereotypical red sock incident. As a college student, you learn pretty quick that no matter how hard you try, laundry is not put at the top of the priority list. In fact, everything seems fine until one day you realize the only thing left to go out in is your 8th grade field trip t-shirt and some old sweatpants. Procrastination is key.

4. Eating right

The dining hall is the monster in your closet. You bet those french fries would go great with that cheese sauce-- and there's no way you'll get sick of having it for lunch and dinner every single day either. Dorm food will creep up on you without you realizing. In the beginning of college, I absolutely devoured the dining hall. Unhealthy food everywhere you look, your family not there to give you the disapproving glare. I grew up in a home filled with reduced fat 100 calorie snacks, so it was all new territory for me. I didn't have my family there to help me pick out the right foods, and with an unlimited meal plan, I was eating whenever I wanted. By second semester, we had all mostly gotten the hang of eating right, but sometimes we all gotta go for the second serving of pizza.

5. Procrastination

You better believe the night will be calling out to you. At the beginning of college, you meet so many people it's hard to wrap your head around it. There are a million new things you can do, everything sounding just as great as the next. With all the commotion going on, it's nearly impossible to sit yourself down in front of your desk and do math problems. First semester I was more willing to go to our fitness facility and run laps than write a paper. Here at Iowa, our campus is filled with so many different things you can do that there is never a dull night. Personally, I ended last semester getting a high score on Quizlet at 4 am and a twitch in my left eye. Thanks, Iowa.

6. Sleep

In high school, midnight was considered late. Now here in college, my roommates and I are sitting down for dinner at that time. The world at a university is much different, and without your parents nagging at you for being awake or sleeping in, you are really in control of it all. Currently, my sleep schedule is going to bed at 3 and waking up at noon (it's on the list of things to repair). Sleep is the most important thing when you are a student. Going to bed at a decent time is really the key to success, and a lot of us are downright terrible at it. Once you figure out how to get yourself to bed, you are on your way to success, my friend.

7. Taking it Easy

Your first year at college is going to be filled with a ton of new stressors. Yes, there will be nights that you are up at crazy hours finishing a paper. Yes, there will be days you spent ten straight hours in the library alone. But there will also be plenty of days that you get to spend with your friends in front of the tv just hanging out. College is important, your grades are important, but nothing matters more than your well being. Don't wait untill last minute to do everything. Take things one step at a time. If you are confused about something, there are tons of people you can ask. You rock. Sometimes you just gotta chill out.

So yes, I was a child in a grown up world at the beginning of the year. Yes, I turned my clothes red and shrunk my favorite dress. Yes, our popcorn has caught on fire before, and apparently spoons like to hide out in your garbage disposal and you won't know until it's too late. At the end of the day, though, all these horrid lessons were lessons well needed. My first year at college has definitely been an interesting one, but I'm happy for all of the stupid mistakes I made along the way. After all, that's what college is all about.