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6 Things I Don't Understand About Being An Adult

I have no idea what I'm doing.

Katelyn Archer

Apr 19, 2016

UC San Diego

197

6 Things I Don't Understand About Being An Adult

I'm an adult, but only in the loosest sense of the word. By definition I am an adult, but honestly, I don't understand how to "adult." I asked around and put together a list of things that most college students don't know how to do as an adult.

1. Answering the phone

This may seem like something everyone should be able to do, but it really isn't. I'm not sure how real adults look at unknown number and decide to answer it because it "could be Linda from work." Expecting a call to be from anyone but a solicitor is a total adult move.

2. Making appointments

This also might seem like a mundane, easy task, but the amount of planning that goes into making an appointment is under-appreciated. "Hi, yes, I'd like to make an appointment for Nov. 3, 2017 at 3:00." I mean seriously? How do you know your schedule well enough to decide you're not busy that far in advance???

3. Finding a doctor

On that same note, how do you find a doctor to go to so you can make your appointments a year in advance? Is there a "look at all these lovely, trusted doctors" meeting? A poster maybe? With my luck, I'll probably end up in a shack on the side of the house because they promised it would be cheap.

4. Grocery shopping

I'm not saying I've never been grocery shopping, but I've never had to survive on my own grocery shopping. Sure, I can run to the store and pick out some chips for the barbecue, but having to buy food for an entire weeks worth of meals? Uh, yeah, no. I'll probably come back with Eggo Waffles, Lunchables and some mac and cheese.

5. How to buy expensive things

Like a house. Or a car. Or pretty much anything that costs more money than I have (anything over $20 right now but that's beside the point). Yeah, OK, there's something to do with loans and banks and down-payments, and I've heard those words before, but I have no idea how to handle any of them. Do you think they take hugs as payments?

6. Taxes

Yeah, I'm not even gonna touch this topic. I have no idea what's going on here or how I'm supposed to even address this. Boo, taxes.

So, long story short — I have no idea what's going on with this whole adult thing, and neither does anyone I asked. But hey, don't worry. I'm really, really good at memorizing equations that I'll never use. I love being an adult.

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Recommended for you

6 Things I Don't Understand About Being An Adult

I have no idea what I'm doing.

1. Answering the phone

2. Making appointments

3. Finding a doctor

4. Grocery shopping

5. How to buy expensive things

6. Taxes

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No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

What is the current minimum wage at the federal level?

What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

Told through Parks & Recreation GIFs

Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

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