Before moving into college, people will have lots of advice for you. “Have fun, but make time for schoolwork” is normally the most popular piece of advice given. Though this is important, there is so much more freshmen should realize before moving in. No matter how prepared for college some people claim to be, these few pieces of advice can be relevant to all freshmen.
Everyone will get homesick.
It will not matter if you’re 30 minutes away from home or 5 hours; everyone will miss home at some point. They may not talk about it, but I guarantee you they are feeling it. Sometimes you just want a home cooked meal, a hug from your mom and a shower without shoes on. The homesickness happens to everyone.
You can’t wait the night before to study.
Unlike high school you cannot wait to study for an exam the night before and expect to pass. Unfortunately, not every class will have a review day before the test so it is extremely necessary to study ahead of time if you want a good grade. Yes, this means countless nights spent in the library.
"Friends" will come and go.
Everyone tends to think that they’ll meet their best friends within the first few days of college, become best friends with their roommates and have an instant friend group by the first weekend. I can easily tell you that this is not a realistic way to think. Some people have no problem finding their niche within the first week or so, but it normally isn’t the case for everyone. You’ll meet so many people and sometimes the people you once thought you would become close to end up having nothing in common with you at all. Don’t get too hung up on the people who come into your life and don’t stay long; everything happens for a reason and there is no need to rush or force friendships to happen.
You won't always be happy.
As many of us may already know, teenage years are filled with tons of emotions. As much as I would love to say these feelings go away in college, they don’t. It is possible to become overwhelmed not only with schoolwork, but life in general. Everything will seem to be moving fast and at one point all of the emotions will hit you. It is so easy to look on social media and see people having “the time of their lives” while you’re sitting in bed stressing about the two exams you have tomorrow. Don’t let these people get to you. College is stressful and hard, and it will definitely test your emotions. Just know that the emotions will pass eventually it will just take time to adjust.
You don't have to do what everyone else is doing.
Many times people will feel like they have to live up to the stereotypical college standards of partying, going out every weekend and not going to sleep until 4 a.m. Though this can be fun for a good amount of students, it isn’t always what everyone wants to do. Spending a night in with a friend watching a movie and eating popcorn is fine. In fact, it is more than fine. Getting a good night sleep instead of staying up with everyone is a smart choice. Choosing to stay in because you’re sick instead of forcing yourself to go out and feel horrible the next day is a great choice. A lot of times people won’t even think about doing these things because they want to fit in. Don’t push yourself too much; the more you stay true to yourself and think about what you need in life, the better chance you’ll have of meeting people who are similar to you. And lets be honest, who doesn’t want a best friend to binge watch Netflix movies with?
