15 things that happen during your freshman year of college
You got accepted into college, moved into your dorm, you're all set up, now what? Do you sleep till classes start Monday, stay up all night getting to know your roommate, drive around and find your new favorite hangout? And then after that, what happens? Will college really change me? Yes. College can be a scary place for anyone to be, you are on your own, no rules, no parents, and no limits; the world is yours now. High school might have been fun, but college is like no other, and your freshman year will always be unforgettable.
1. How to sleep as long as possible, without being late to class.
Okay, so you thought "I got up for school early in high school everyday, these 8 ams' are nothing." Lies. Lies. And more lies. Those 8am, 9am, and even sometimes 10ams', are some of the worst classes to take, and the fact that you stayed up till 3 in the morning probably doesn’t help. You might think "English won't miss me" but you'll probably miss those 10 extra credit points for missing a day. You will learn to sleep till 7:50 throw some clothes on and make it to class by 8:00 sharp.
2. How to make a friend in every class so you'll always have notes.
So yeah, this isn't high school anymore, you probably don’t know anyone in your classes. You will learn fast to get to know your neighbor and ask for their number so if you do over sleep you can get the notes, because no, your teacher will not email them to you. Sometimes even stalking Facebook for someone in your class to send a message to helps. But if all else fails, you can send out a class email, just remember to add your class name (because we all have at least 4, and probably don’t know your name).
3. You'll probably miss home and call your mom way more than you thought.
"Mom, can you make pasta in the microwave?" "Mom, does red lipstick really go with everything?" "Mom, can you transfer some money in my account?" You will realize fast how much your parents did for your back home. You will miss them nagging you to clean your room and doing your laundry, because now you've been at school 4 weeks and your running out of wardrobe options. Your parents will always have your back, no matter what, and college makes you feel that even more.
4. You are going to question your morals, sanity, and yourself.
You will see some things in college that you never thought you would see, and probably more than once. Questioning your morals in college is normal, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Just because you made a mistake, does not make you a bad person. Your sanity will be questioned, probably daily, when you think about how much you have to do, how little you've slept, or why that guy you made out with at the bar didn’t text you this morning. Questioning yourself will happen, you will realize your changing into an adult, you've got more responsibility now, you are forming opinions, starting groups, becoming a leader; trust me, it is okay!
5. Your hometown will start to feel less "home" and more "vacation".
You couldn’t wait to get home for Thanksgiving break, to find that your room isn't so much your room anymore. There is boxes everywhere, no pictures on the wall, and you are living out of a suitcase for 4 days. Although, going home will still feel great, it will feel more like a vacation then your home, but let us remember the greatest part of going home is....free laundry.
6.You'll probably drink too much one night......or ten.
Weather your drank and partied in high school, there is no party like your first frat party. You will think you know your limit, until your laying on the bathroom floor crying because you drank to much, you want your mommy, and you've thrown up everything is your stomach. It happens, now move on! You aren't a terrible person because you had one to many, you'll just be smarter next time, hopefully. Your friends will take pictures, probably post them on social media, and you guys will laugh about it in weeks to come. This is also a great way to see who your true friends are, you know the ones that hold back your hair, don't let you text that boy from class or your high school ex, buy you WaffleHouse, and let you sleep with them all night; those will be your friends for the rest of college.
7. You and your high school friends will probably stop talking as much
Those late night phone calls, and Saturday Skype calls will soon become less and less, you will find yourself asking "when was the last time I talked to..?" Yeah, you will miss them, but you are busy, and they probably are too. Plus, you guys have both made new friends (as you've seen on Instagram), and are having new experiences. It just gives you more to talk about when you meet up for lunch and ice cream.
8. You'll find true friends, and party friends.
You are not going to like everyone you meet in college, but sometimes you like them enough to go out to parties with them. They are the friends you text when your favorite frat has an open party, or when there is bar crawls downtown. Your true friends, will be the ones you call at 3 a.m. when your are too drunk to drive, and they will be there in 20 to pick you up, even though they have an 8 a.m. There is nothing wrong with your true friends being your party friends too, but you'll figure out the difference.
9. You will tell yourself you are going to work out, but never do.
The freshman 15 is so real, you will start to realize it when you go to pull on your favorite part of jeans, and notice they are a little snug. All that market food and cheap beer starts to catch up on you. You will tell yourself for New Years you are going to work out and go to the gym, you might even start. But then you take a cheat day, that turns into a cheat month and then you are back to square one. This happens to everyone, unless you’re an athlete because you have mandatory practices, and fun stuff like that.
10.Why your freshman roommate will always have an impact, horrible or not.
I happened to have a great freshman year roommate, who is now my best friend; but I know that is not always the truth, which is unfortunate. But you freshman year roommate will always have an impact on you, weather they snored loud and you couldn’t sleep, always burnt food, kept the room super dirty, or where just plain out weird; you will realize that you became more tolerable of someone who is different than you, because you had to. This makes you realize, maybe you aren't perfect or easy to live with either.
11. It is okay to cry.
Crying is going to happen in college, weather its drunk crying, crying because you're sad, or stress crying; it is all bound to happen, and it is okay (yes even for you boys). Buy some ice cream, turn on Netflix, get under the blankets and call mom, everything will get better and you will make it through, you aren't dying, I promise.
12. Finding a job is important because being broke sucks.
Mom and dad are going to get pretty tired of you calling weekly asking for more money. They will question what you spent it on, why did you buy this, are you doing drugs, etc. But really you bought bathroom stuff and maybe some ramen, and now you want to go out with your friends. Find a job, whether it is a little campus job, or you work 40 hours a week (not advised), you will feel like you earned something and your parents will probably be more willing to help you out.
13. College is nothing like high school, even if your were an honor student.
Yes, studying is something you have to do in college. I do not care what kind of classes you took in high school, and that you graduated with a 4.0. College classes are different, and your professors do not care that all your finals are on the same day. Remember, coffee is a friend, and the library is open 24 hours during finals week.
14. School spirit is something to be proud of.
No, this might have not been your first choice school, you might hate it, but it is where you go to school, so suck it up and buy a school t shirt, it won't kill you. Go to sporting events, find a club, something; there is nothing worse than going through college and then realizing you have nothing to put on your resume expect "graduate."
15.Your high school labels no longer matter.
It does not matter what you were called in high school or how people viewed you, most of the people at college do not know you and you can create a whole new you if you want to. College is a time for trying new things, maybe you never thought of yourself as someone who could play sports, try intramural, or go through Greek recruitment. You never know if you are going to like something, till you try it, so explore!
