Before I took my first steps as a college student, I heard those same words uttered over and over again – "college will be the best four years of your life." I was reassured that the transition would be difficult, but quick nonetheless. I was told that I would meet my lifelong friends at school. I was informed that the classes I would take would be more challenging than high school courses, but that the crazy parties would make up for them. Everyone made it seem as if college was a simple transition; however, for me, college was the biggest transition of my life.
Things I wish I knew as I transitioned from a high school graduate to a full-time college student:
1. It is OK to go into college undecided. It is OK to switch your major along the way.
College is where you are supposed to find yourself and your interests; don’t be afraid to try different types of classes out! By going to a liberal arts school, you are essentially being forced to take a bunch of different courses. Make the most of the opportunities that are right in front of you and use them to learn about yourself and your interests.
2. It can take a while to get used to life as a college student.
For me, it took an entire semester to get used to life as a college student. Don’t compare your progress to the people's surrounding you. For some people, it can take a few days. For others, it can take weeks or even months.
3. The friends you make the first week of school don't have to be the people you spend the next four years with.
The first week of college, people typically hang out in masses to avoid the anxieties of being friendless. Some people you meet the first week of college will become your best friends. Others won't
. And that is OK!4. Just because you are going to college does not mean you will lose all of your hometown friends.
College isn’t the same as it was for our parents – today, we have texting, Facetime, phone calls, and even old-fashioned written letters that help us keep in contact with friends from home. You will see your home friends during breaks (where you will most likely spend lots of time together in order to avoid dying from boredom).
5. It is important to do things out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there.
Join clubs and sports – do some things you never imagined yourself doing. Trying new things will help you realize that there are a million activities out there that you never knew you could enjoy!
6. Partying as a freshman isn't glamorous.
If you want to party as a freshman you are probably going to end up at huge, sweaty, frat party. No one looks good at frat parties during the first semester of college unless you don’t sweat (which, if that’s the case, you will be the most attractive person there). But, without freshmen year partying at cramped frat parties, you wouldn’t really get that “freshmen experience.”
7. There are going to be nights when you want to stay in bed and watch Netflix.
You’re probably going to be binge eating popcorn and Ben & Jerry’s while watching "The Office," and there is nothing wrong with that.
8. There are going to be nights when you feel like crying.
Whether you’re overwhelmed by schoolwork, you're homesick, or you're having friend troubles, you are fully allowed to have a bad day! Trust me, things will get better.
9. There will be nights when college starts to feel like a second home.
You could be hanging out and having fun with your friends, or just walking to the lib, when you realize that college feels less like school and more like a home every single day.
10. The cafeteria food will never taste like a home-cooked meal, but you will eventually start to get used to it.
And the days when you are sick of the cafeteria's few options, you will always have the great option to order out with friends! But don't forget self control -- chicken fingers and pizza are great, but it is always a good idea to limit
yourself (the freshman 15 is not necessarily a myth).
11. You have to study and actually do the readings for most of your classes.
It is not as easy to breeze by as it was in high school (even though it is possible with some professors).
12. It gets better, and you end up feeling like maybe college will be the best four years of your life.
For some people, the transition to college will be easy. But for the majority, there are going to be a lot of ups and downs. During your freshman year, you learn to become your own individual, you grow up, and you experience new things that you would have once never imagined. Looking back, I wish I knew that although there were moments when freshman year was scary, the anxieties and fears I had would soon pass. In the end, my freshman year would lead me to make some of my best friends, try new things, and enjoy school more than I thought I ever would.
