Many people try to give perspective college students advice before they head off to college. After completing my first semester, I have realized that there are just some things one cannot understand until actually attending college.
1. If one person living on your hall is sick, the rest of the hall will be sick within a week
Part of sharing a bathroom, room, dining hall, and building with thousands of college students means that if one person is sick, it is destined that other people will be sick within days. No matter how good of an immune system you think you have you will get sick and the nurse at CVS minute clinic will become your best friend. (Even if all she gives you is an inhaler to “cure” the cough you have had for over a month. Germs spread fast in college. When you hear that one girl down the hall coughing as you pass her room, just prepare yourself because that will be you within a week.
2. Eating anything not in the dining hall is the best food you have ever tasted
The dining hall does have a lot of options but after awhile, the options repeat and the frozen vegetables on the salad bar and pink chicken become very unappetizing. After days of having eggs and cereal for dinner, no matter where you go out to eat that isn’t the dining hall, the food will taste like the best food you have ever eaten.
3. Even though there are thousands of people at the University of Michigan, you will always run into a familiar face
College campuses are huge and there are so many different places that people can be, but I have yet to have a day where I haven’t run into a familiar face. No matter if it is in the bathroom, on my way to class, or waiting in line at Starbucks I never fail to run into someone I know.
4. The excitement of getting a notification that you have a package
There is no better notification to receive than when the email arrives from support containing the subject "Package Check-In Notification." No matter if it is your textbook you ordered from Amazon or a new dress, there is nothing more exciting than knowing you have a package to pick up. It is just like camp, but better because you can even send yourself a package instead of having to wait for your parents to send you one.
5. There will definitely be days when you don’t want to leave your bed
College is fun and it is so much fun to go out. However, everyone has those days when they don’t want to get out of their bed. When it is below 0 outside and you know you have to walk at least 10 minutes to class, there will be nothing more that you want to do than stay in bed all day. However, we all know that cannot happen many times.
