Leaving home for college is scary. Especially when home is now an empty bedroom and your parents are more than a phone call away. Everything is new. A new town, new room, new friends, new weather changes, and of course, new knowledge. We learn so many things when we are out on our own in the real world, without our parent’s watchful eye. Being on our own forces us to finally pick up all the skills our parents have been pushing upon us for the past couple years. We all want our parents to be proud of us, more so than just getting good grades and making it to all our classes on time. Here are 25 real-life lessons learned being in a new home away from home:

1. How to properly cook noodles

2. The importance of taking out the trash

3. How to order pizza

4. How to make my own doctors appointments

5. Why to wash dishes right after a meal

6. Grocery shopping and the importance of going with a list

7. Paying bills

8. Making sure the heat/air isn't running when we aren't home

9. How to properly do laundry

10. Not putting anything red or pink in the whites

11. Everything gets dusty really quick

12. How to send out mail

13. How to hang things on the wall

14. Getting around on our own

15. Why vacuuming is important

16. Why I can't survive off goldfish and mac and cheese

17. But if i eat enough of them it does fill me up

18. How to properly cook meat

19. Fruit flies will come if the fruit isn't eaten quick enough

20. Reminding ourselves to take our vitamins

21. The satisfaction of a homemade meal

22. Keeping my head on a swivel is really important

23. Spilled milk really is an issue

24. How to be independent

25. I still need my parents' advice.

See Mom and Dad, I can survive on my own! Don't hesitate to send some a$$i$tance though- I won't ever be again$t that.