I was homeschooled all my life, from kindergarten through 12th grade. I was involved in two different co-ops with dozens of other homeschooling families during that time, and I dual-enrolled at the local community college my senior year of high school, but nothing could've prepared me for what I'd find at the University of Central Florida.

If you don't know, UCF is the nation's second-largest university, boasting over 66,000 enrolled students. It was quite the culture shock, and these were some of the thoughts I've had in my four years.

1. That's a lot of people.

In classes, in line while waiting to get food. Eventually, I got used to it, and it even became a source of comfort, knowing that I'm just one many and no one is paying particular attention to me and my inevitable goofs. But being around thousands is still very different from the small co-ops in my prior education.

2. My professor doesn't even know who I am??? Sounds fake??

Up to this point, I had been used to being taught by my parents or my friends' parents, so being in a situation where I'm just one face out of many that come and go each semester, just another nameless person in class is....uncomfortable.

3. Does anyone not drink? (Then finding out that actually, yes, a lot of people don't.)

It just seems that way because all of the freshmen are pee-their-pants excited to not be under their parents' roof and to have the college experience that they over-do it, sometimes teased me for not getting drunk. But eventually I came across all sorts of people who don't drink for varying reasons, and I found that I wasn't alone.

4. So apparently showing nudity and pornography in class is a-okay coolio beans.

It's not.

In my film class freshman year, the professor showed a movie with full-frontal female nudity. I was horrified and later emailed him about it. From then on he gave warnings in class when a film would have questionable content, but I'll never forget the first time he told the 400-person class that only one person had emailed him and complained. A student in front of me whispered to his friend, "Snitches get stitches," and I tried to hide my burning face. But hey, news flash: You're allowed to find content offensive and complain about it. No one should make you feel like you're too sensitive.

5. How do people not know how to properly manage their time and schedule their lives in order to fit school, work, and a social life? I have literally been doing this on my own for the past four years.

And I don't mean that in a prideful way. More in a... "wow, I wasn't aware this wasn't a common skill set for people. I've kinda been duped, but I guess now I'm grateful??"

6. Do most people really want to get away from their families so badly? (AKA will I always be considered a freak for still living with my family because I actually enjoy it?)

I've met people who love their families and miss them and people who still live at home, but most of the time their reasons are because it'll save them money. Once in a blue moon, I've met similar people who live at home because they enjoy being with their family, and at times when I didn't know anyone doing the same as me, I resolved to not let anyone make me feel weird for having healthy familial relationships. Even though sometimes it made me feel a bit guilty.

7. I guess that whole “college guys will be more mature” mantra I repeated to myself in high school was just a fantasy.

Boys suck, basically. (Men don't, but not all college guys are men.)

8. I didn’t know girls could be that catty. Or guys that perverted.

It still blows my mind. Obviously, all homeschoolers aren't entirely pure and innocent, and I experienced cattiness and perversion beforehand, but a college of tens of thousands of students is bound to be a whole new level.

9. Is anyone here not Greek?

Frat guys and sorors are everywhere, and most of them are actually pretty cool. Most films prepared me for the worst, and some of them are, but the people sporting Greek letters in your class have been some of the best class buddies.

10. Wow. I cannot believe he just said that to the professor. And he’s not even going to get grounded for it.

The gall of people to mouth off to authorities is still baffling to me. As much as I want to and work out exactly in my head how I'd deliver an exceptional zinger, I can never go through with it. But people that can and expect to get away with no consequences exist and are very real, kids.

11. So does this mean I can’t wear pajamas to school?

Oh, homeschool life, how you spoiled me.

Transitioning is weird, and sometimes I felt like a fish out of the water, but that's to be expected. Ultimately, college is pretty cool, and I didn't have to change in order to enjoy it.