College, for many, is the first time you leave home and go out on your own. For some people, it could be terrifying while others may breathe in the freedom and run with it. But for kids who went to sleep-away camp? This isn't exactly something new.

Attending sleep-away camp prepared us for college in ways a variety of ways and gave us a confidence boost as we entered a whole new world.

1. We are already used to sharing a bathroom with multiple people.

No longer having your own bathroom may seem gross and uncomfortable, but for us camp kids, for two months we share a bathroom with at least 14 other people. So this is nothing new, and actually may be a step up from those freezing camp showers.

2. We are already used to the not so good food....

The cafeteria food probably is nothing like a nice home cooked meal you can't exactly bring packed lunches to eat. Lucky enough, we are already used to the mass-produced food and have found ways around it. Want a tip? Invest in Easy Mac and Cup Of Noodles or go for the salad bar.

3. We are already used to sharing a living space with someone.

Living with a roommate can be challenging if you've always had your own room. For us, though, sharing a room with one person is nothing compared to sharing a room with about 14 other people. And the living space is triple to the area sizes in the bunks.

4. We are already used to dealing with one-time hookups.

Camp hook ups have forced us to deal with romance head on as there was no avoiding them the next day, whether it be at Canteen or Evening Activity. This has taught us how to successfully avoid an awkward confrontation with the awkward hookup with the kid in math class from the night before.

5. We are already used to being away from home.

Being away from home is one of the things many kids struggle with going away to school. But us camp kids have been doing it since we were little, so leaving home for a bit doesn't seem as scary anymore.

6. We learned how to deal with people we don't like.

Living in a dorm with people you don't like can be rather difficult, almost as challenging as living in a bunk with people you don't like. But we've learned that there is no avoiding it, so there is no choice but to deal with it anyways.

7. We know the meaning of spirit.

Color war has taught us the meaning of spirit and energy, the same spirit and energy we will put into homecomings and sports games. And we also know an endless amount of cheers....

8. We are already used to weird and crazy.

College will be filled with twists and turns and encounters with interesting people, but thanks to camp, we are used to crazy.

9. We learned the meaning of responsibility.

When the camper days are over and we entered the counselor world, responsibility was something drilled into us as we cared for other people's children. Remembering to hand in assignments and do laundry doesn't exactly compare.

10. We learned how to make any time a good time.

There were many times where we had to make our own fun over the summer, this has taught us how to make even sitting around in the dorm room entertaining.

And finally...

11. We learned how important friendship is.

We met some of our best friends at camp and know how important it is to make those lifelong friends in college as well. We learned how important it is to have people to rely and support on as you grow up. Camp allowed us to constantly meet new people, from different cultures and parts of the world as well.

There are so many reasons on how camp has prepared us for college and has allowed us to feel excited, rather than terrified, as we go off for college and for that we are eternally grateful.

Not to mention, camp has given us great conversation starters with new friends, because too many good stories somehow relate back to sleep-away camp....