College is a time for change, and for a lot of us freshmen, that change can be pretty drastic. We are not only thrown into a new environment, new dorm, new group of people, and even occasionally a new state, but also forced to come to terms with a novel structure of life. The most basic things from back home seem to have suddenly changed.

1. Meals

Back at home, even if you didn't have a set meal schedule, you likely had access to an actual kitchen and dining room. Food was readily available at all times, and eating multiple small meals a day wasn't out of the question.

Unfortunately, the dining hall doesn't work like that. Despite having an unlimited number of swipes into the diner, students tend to drift towards the many carryout food options available around them, especially if the walk to free food poses even a minor inconvenience. Eating healthy goes out the window when there's always cookies around, and it's hard to say no to five types of pasta when they're offered. Even the students who brought mini-fridges to their dorms find that grocery shopping is a waste and succumb to the lure of snacks and takeout.

1. Distance

You may be wondering, "But isn't the dining hall just a two minute walk away from your building? That's not far at all!" You're right, it's not. Sort of. The concepts of 'close' and 'far' change drastically in college.

On one hand, visiting your friends in another dorm can be considered far. They live a building away, sure, but your hallmate friends live a door away, and the comparison is pretty impactful. Now, let's say your 8 A.M. class is a five minute walk away. Assuming that you're on a pretty big campus (like that of a state university), many of your classes could be fifteen minutes away minimum. Five minutes doesn't look so far anymore.

1. Friends

A pretty great thing about college is the realization that your friends no longer have to interact. The population of students in college is much greater than it is in high school, and you're likely to have groups from all sorts of different parts of campus life. You might have one group from your religious organization, another from your sorority or fraternity, and another from your hall. Now that you're in college, all that matters is that the people you're with are people you care about, and it's up to you to balance that situation.

1. Homework

College is work, in case you weren't aware. It's a pretty big shock for some, and if you're in a major that requires a lot of reading, you'll quickly realize how problematic procrastination can be. Having all your work in your own hands can be stressful, and pacing yourself in keeping up with readings is absolutely key. Otherwise, you may find yourself with three papers to write in a week on seven novels that you didn't actually read.

1. Room Standards

I'll be honest, I was a pretty messy person before college. The floor of my room was always littered with clothes, and organization wasn't even close to my top priority. Here's the thing though: there are a lot of things you don't have control over in college, but your room is not one of those things.

Living with someone else is especially revealing, because people tend to follow the golden rule in their living situations. You wouldn't want your roommate leaving their underwear on the floor, so you don't do it yourself. There's a constant feeling of judgement with roommates, and it's honestly pretty great as a monitor of cleanliness. Not to mention, this is your space now. Might as well keep it looking nice.