Going away to college is such a strange, overwhelming, yet amazing experience that is truly once in a lifetime! These are seven (of the many) things that have been new to me this school year.

1. Not Knowing What To Do With Your New Freedom

You mean I can go to McDonalds at midnight and there's no one there to stop me? I guess this explains the whole, "Freshman 15" thing.

2. Learning The Unspoken Rules

There are so many things that I wish would have been brought up at orientation. No one bothered to tell me that wearing your lanyard is a freshman thing or that people on bicycles are merciless so you better get out of their way.

3. Dorm Life

Living on campus is super convenient if you're like me and like to get as much sleep as possible, but there are some downfalls. There is no such thing as baths (just a very small shower that is almost impossible to shave your legs in), the walls are super thin, and there are constantly weird smells in the hall. On the other hand, you'll hopefully form great relationships with your roommate and other people in your hall!

4. The New Slang

What the heck is a swipe? Office hours? CRNs? The list goes on. If you want to add even more confusing terminology to your vocabulary, I highly recommend joining a sorority.

5. Constant GroupMe Notifications

I used GroupMe a few times in high school, but how I used it then doesn't come close to comparing to the way it's used here. I am currently in 27 groups, all ranging from group projects to girls in my sorority that are interested in playing basketball sometime.

6. The Meal Plan Confusion

What places take swipes? What constitutes a swipe? There's a difference between dining dollars and bear bucks? Someone please explain. I just want to eat.

7. Free Stuff. Free Stuff Everywhere.

I now have more t-shirts, water bottles, koozies and pencils than I know what to do with. This is definitely my favorite problem I've ever had though.

There are a million other things I could add to this list, but these are just a few that stick out to me!