When I made my decision to go to UMD I was originally terrified of college life and what it might entail for me. I was scared about basically everything from what I was going to eat, to who I was going to hang out with, to how I was going to get to the places I needed to be. Little did I know, because of my experience at sleep away camp for the past 10 years of my life, I really didn't have much to stress about.
Sleep away camp prepares you for more than you might think and here are just a few reasons how it really helped me out in my transition to college.
1. I knew how to make the best of the worst foods.
Although college does have more options for food than camp ever did, if there's nothing I'm in the mood for I definitely already know my go to: peanut butter and jelly or buttered pasta.
2. I knew how to walk, long distances and everywhere I go.
Although it might not be to the soccer field to hang out with friends or to the lake to jump on the Rave, college requires a ton of walking. Sprinting cross-campus from class to class might be difficult for someone who hasn't already sprinted a longer distance in the obstacle course for their camp's color war.
3. Jewish geography=immediate college friends.
If you went to camp, your camp friend most likely knows a home friend who has a camp friend who also goes to your college who you should "like totally be friends with."
4. Color war has a direct translation with gameday.
Gamedays at college are basically like a giant color war except everyone is on the same team decked out in your schools color. And the obstacle courses aren't necessarily physical competitions but rather how you're going to be capable of staying up to tailgate from 7 am into the nighttime.
5. I knew how to use my bed as my place for absolutely everything.
Just like in camp, you do basically everything on your bed. In college your bed is the place to sleep, eat, study and hang out with friends, so get ready to have little specs of crumbs and dirt on your comforter just like your camp bedding probably had.
6. I knew how to live with new people.
If you didn't know your roommate before school started, going to camp can be a big help in getting along with a new person to live with. I personally requested a roommate and did not get put with her, so I had to learn to adjust to the sleeping and studying habits of a brand new person. Having experience with living with new people in camp made this adjustment a little bit more feasible for me.
7. I knew how to stay up late...really late.
In camp I stayed up crazy late almost every night joking around with my best friends and I stayed up even later the night before visiting day with anticipation for what my parents might bring me. Every night of going out in college is basically like that night before visiting day: you know you should go to sleep because you'll have a better experience the next day, but in the moment you're just too excited.
8. I knew how to have responsibility for myself.
In camp I had to learn about taking care of myself the hard way when the boy I liked told me that my breath smelled, ut in college I now know everything I need to do to keep myself in good hygiene and health. When you're alone, at both camp and college, you are your own responsibility. Mom isn't there to make sure you're eating right and brushing your teeth, so you need to do it yourself...especially if you don't want your crush turning you away for bad breath.
9. I knew how to refrain from judgement.
In camp we are confronted with people from all walks of life. They might be from a different country than us or have different interests than us or different home lives. Having worldly experiences with people outside of what you're used to can be a huge help when meeting new people at college. It can teach you to embrace their differences rather than turn them away for them.
10. I knew that news travels fast.
In camp I have learned that when everyone lives in such close proximity to each other, secrets are hard to keep. College is very similar, so coming in I knew how important it would be for me to not do anything I would regret others hearing about.
11. I understood that everyone's got their own "thing."
In camp I personally did not have one specific thing that I enjoyed but rather a bunch of things that I would try out. Other kids though had specific things that they loved like musical theater or the lake or reading. Camp taught me to embrace these passions rather than make fun of them for being different from my own.
12. I knew how to take a shower while not allowing my body to touch any part of the shower floor or walls.
In camp, most showers are gross and require wearing shower shoes. In college, most freshman dorms require the same thing. Good thing summers of disgusting showers have straightened my balance and gotten me ready to shave while standing on one foot.
Camp has had a huge impact on my life as far as te friends I have made there and the passions that I have developed however I did not realize how many true helpful lessons I learned there until I expereineced college life. So, to all you scared high school seniors awaiting your college acceptances, no matter where you decide to go, youll be prepared for it if you went to camp.
