When you apply for your dream college, all you can think about are the endless possibilities. How far will I go with this degree? Will I go to graduate school? Where will I live on campus? Your mind is buzzing with ideas about what it will be like when you get there. You will here more unsolicited advice than you ever have, but be careful, not all advice you are given is helpful or even true. So here are seven things I learned in my short time as a college freshman that no one told me.
Number One: Your roommate will not automatically become your best friend. Nathan, if you are reading this don't get offended and stop reading. I can't tell you how many people told me that they loved there college roommate so much that they put them in their wedding. It came as a shocker to me to find out that forcing two people in a room does not guarantee friendship. I was lucky enough to be paired with a great roommate who is clean and genuinely a good guy. But I was fortunate, living with a complete stranger, or in my case six complete strangers isn't easy to get used to. Sometimes all you want to do is sleep and all they want to do is play Mortal Combat. Sometimes your idea of a clean sink is that the dish in the sink, while their's is polished and dried. But, as you get to know each other's schedules and have your time to yourself, it can be a blast. It does, however, take work.
Number Two: The Freshman Fifteen is not guaranteed! I have known friends who have shown me themselves that gaining weight is a guarantee for college. But, keeping a healthy diet isn't impossible. Most of the time cafeterias will have healthy options and even specialties. Campus gyms are often open to students and taking advantage of that will go a long way. So if there is one piece of advice from someone who has actually lost weight in college, snack carefully. The plate of Goldfish will undo your salad you had at lunch if you are not careful.
Number Three: Boredom is a real killer. I know this is not the experience for everyone, and truthfully in a few years it won't be true for me either. But if you are not involved in sports, band, or student government, you can sometimes have too much time on your hands. Even my friends who have two labs a week, each three hours long, tell me they are frequently stuck finding something to do. My advice, get involved! You can volunteer somewhere as little as once a week and make a difference. Try a part-time job, or take up a hobby. Don't be the guy or girl watching Netflix five hours a day to fill the time.
Number Four: College is both easier and harder than high-school. I was always told one or the other, either you would fly through or sink. But I've come to realize it's a mixture of both. Only have two or three classes a day can really take a load off. On the other hand, teachers do not tell you when you have work due. It is your responsibility to look it up and find out. For me, it's a day by day on whether I'll be done with class by noon and done with homework by two. Or done with class at one and not finish homework until five.
Number Five: A planner will save your life. I skated through high-school by having teachers guide me every step of the way. Due dates were talked about constantly and posted on the board. No one bothered to tell me that in college, if they tell you the due date twice, you're lucky. A computer calendar does you good if your class requires a computer and you have it out in time. But for me, a $6 Wal-Mart planner is essential to keeping me on track.
Number Six: Friends don't flood in your freshman year. I heard stories left and right about how new friends will come at you in waves. But from what I've picked up, people are more shy the first semester. I realized this one day when it was Saturday at Three O'Clock and I had no one to hangout with. I was feeling lonely that day when I got a call from Taylor, my girl-friend's older sister. She told me about how she couldn't remember who she was hanging out with first semester, but that after Christmas break everyone lightens up. The culture shock keeps a lot of people in their dorms during their free time. That can make it hard to cultivate new friends. But I am confident that as the year progresses, people will come out of their shell and new friends will pop up left and right.
Number Seven: This last one I will be careful with. Only a month and a half in I don't want to make too many early predictions. But from what I've heard from people actually in college, College is NOT the best time of your life. Now that isn't saying I won't enjoy my time here or make lifelong friends and skills. But if college is the best time of my life, that's kind of sad. I don't want to be standing on the stage graduation day four years from now thinking, "Well, this is it. Now to start a life of downhill misery." I hope that the best time in my life will be the time I spend with my wife and kids, not staying up until three in the morning eating Cheese Puffs cramming for a Biblical Greek test. It is far too early to tell, but I hope that college is a great part of my life, but not the best.
