I'm already having to super-speed-write this article because I have so much to do, if that tells you anything. Right now as I type, there are open textbooks, notebooks, and a plethora of colored pens lying scattered all over my unmade bed (which has stayed unmade since Monday morning). Being thrown—no, hurdled—no, catapulted—into the culture shock that is college has been, without a doubt, one of the craziest experiences of my life. I guess that's why they call it a milestone; it changes everything.
So how can I sum up 'My First Week Of College In A Nutshell?' Well, aside from words like "overwhelming" or "insane" or "depressing", these few, key points come to mind:
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
This has probably been the most stressful part for me, hands down. There's a huge difference between making decisions in high school and making decisions in college. In high school, yes, the decisions are important to an extent, but none of them majorly affect your future. Plus you have your parents, other family members, and counselors that basically hold your hand and make the decisions for you.
In college, though, the decisions are no one else's but yours—and these decisions actually matter, like, a lot. You are holding your future in your hands. It is yours to mold, build, or even break; and I don't know about you, but that's just a ton for me to handle. Ugh, it gives me headaches...
Nonetheless! This could be a positive thing for some of you reading this right now (like it probably should be for me), because college is the beginning of finally being in charge of your own life, so embrace all of the endless decisions!
Remember: if you find yourself at a crossroad, not able to pick between changing your major or not, dropping a class or not, etc., it's likely that you already know what your choice is; you're just afraid to make it. Just go for it, trust yourself, and know that you can always change your mind again if things don't work out.
Maturity upgrade.
One of the most refreshing things about college is that 90 percent of the people you meet are going to act more like mature adults. The people you have in class actually care about what you all are learning, and the ones who don't care, don't show up. So this makes for more intelligent conversations, more attentive students, less distractions, and—the best of them all—no high school drama!
Say goodbye to all of your money.
Books. Fees. Food. Access codes. Laptops.
As if tuition wasn't enough, there's all of this other stuff you have to pay for on top of it. Not gonna lie, after I bought all of my books, other essentials, and my laptop during my first week of college, my heart wanted to cry. It's like I could hear my emptied wallet screaming in pain. You just have to remind yourself that it's an investment in your future, and it'll all pay off in the end...right?
Your high school teachers were right.
In high school, my teachers would always tell their classes these horror stories about college in order to motivate their students to work harder. They would say things like our grade would sometimes rely on only one test or project, or that the professors would sometimes be ruthless, or that if you make below a C in a class you automatically fail. I never believed their stories, or at least I could never comprehend that that kind of brutality could be true, but now I am here giving my testimony that it is.
College is 100 percent different than high school, and it kind of irks me that most high schools don't really prepare its students well enough for the world that awaits them after graduation.
Keep Calm and Stay Grounded.
My first piece of advice after my first week of college is to stay calm and stay grounded. Yes, the homework load is a lot, the decisions are a lot, and the responsibilities are a lot, but don't let school overtake your life. Keep in touch with things you like to do—like singing, playing instruments, reading, writing, or even playing video games. Sure, you're considered as an adult now and you've already had to make some pretty scary adult decisions, but it's your first week of college, not your fiftieth. You still have a little bit of time to act like a kid every once in a while, right?
