Growing up, especially in high school, college is the one thing everyone is looking forward to. We all look forward to the freedom, making our own schedule, and weekends out having fun with new friends. Senioritis is real.
College is great and definitely a time of your life you don't want to wish away.
But like almost everything it comes with flaws.
1. The People
I know High School for me all of the negative energy came from catty people. High school is filled with fake friends (most of the time) and large amounts of drama. Throughout your time in high school many people tell you things like "you'll meet your real friends in college", "these people don't matter", and "just wait till college when you're away from these people".
Let me tell you college is not much different. You see the same side of people and being college students doesn't automatically make them more mature. You're still going to meet people that make you unhappy and do the same drama-filled things you witnessed from individuals in your high school.
Don't get me wrong, you're going to meet people that change your life for the better, but you're also guaranteed to meet some of the wrong ones.
2. The Food
No one can fight me on the next point I'm about to make, home cooked meals are the best. Going to the grocery store to get groceries every week or two with mom may not have been your favorite thing, but you learn to appreciate it when you're away from home.
Restaurants are an option, but that doesn't come out of mom and dad's pocket anymore and maybe you have a 6:30 pm class.
In college, the main cafe exists and it does have different varieties of food, but you learn which of the foods are actually good every day and which seem inedible. The cafe closes at an inconvenient time and even could be a hike away from your dorm room.
Snacks are a must. When its 1 am and you're hungry there's no food you can just whip up that's only a walk to your kitchen, keep in mind you may not even have a microwave in your room.
3. The Core Curriculum
In high school every state has the minimum credits you need to graduate and the specific number of classes in each subject you must take.
Well, you can't escape this in college either. And warning, in college it's way worse
Let's say your an English major and never have to take a math class again in your life, odds are you're still gonna have to use y=mx+b and yes you're still going to find x even though you've been searching for it your whole educational career.
Another warning, if you want to avoid the classic philosophy and theology classes, don't go to a Jesuit university. These may be the most boring classes and odds are you won't need to remember what Descartes said like a trillion years ago.
4. Dorms and Rooms
Remember in high school when you had your own room and bathroom? You sure miss that in college.
Freshman and most sophomores: be ready to share your personal space with another human being you probably have never met. Let me just add this space for two is going to be smaller than your bedroom at home which again, is made for one person.
Make sure you bring shower shoes because you're using the same showers as everyone else on your floor because you're most likely not having your own bathroom. On Saturday/Sunday morning when you need to brush your teeth or use the bathroom, there's most likely going to be drunk throw up in the sink and on the floor.
5. The Wifi
At home, we're all blessed with fast wifi. Keep in mind that the size of your house does not compare to the size of a college campus, and only the 2-5 people in your family are connected to it.
When you get to college you might want to have unlimited data or pray for the overcharge for going over the shared data that you share with your parents and siblings (who if they're also in college, are probably in the same boat).
When you get to college get used to your phone working 10 times slower since the thousands and thousands of kids around you are all on the same wifi.
College has its flaws but that doesn't make it an awful experience. You definitely get used to it and one day you're going to laugh at it. Just remember- make the most of it.
