Living off campus for about a month has been incredibly interesting—to say the least. As a college student living in a house with four other girls, there have been a million things that I have learned—here’s just seven of them.

1. You call your mom for the most random things.

Sure, we all had those moments freshman, or even sophomore year of college randomly texting your parents for laundry advice, or perhaps a question on how to submit a FAFSA form. However, living off-campus has taken this to a whole new level. With new bills, budgeting and, not to mention, cooking this takes the whole idea of “adulting” to a new level. I mean, the other day I called my mom and had to ask how to bake a chicken.

Enough said.

2. The University calls you a commuter student.

Living on campus for two years, I would get thousands upon thousands of emails from my RA every day, as well as Resident Student Association telling me about all of the wonderful events that they were holding that week. And honestly, I miss the fact that I will never have another “mug-making and cinnamon roll baking” Tuesday bonding session with my hall. Now, I get emails about being a commuter student and all of the wonderful things that come with that role. Case and Point: the commuter lounge.

3. You have your own personal playlist for walking to campus--and your own personal record for getting there.

On a good day, it will take me about fifteen minutes to get from my house to the middle of campus. A fact of which I am more than a little proud of—not to be a complete dork. My own personal playlist includes a mix of Hailee Steinfeld, Hamilton the Musical, and most importantly the real MVP: Shawn Mendes.

4. Doing the dishes will be the death of you.

Okay, I’ll admit it: I am nowhere near the cleanest person in the world. I forever miss the day that I could go to the caf, eat my food, and put in into the conveyor belt where a kind person would do the dishes for me. Not anymore.

5. You make friends with freshman just so they can swipe you into the caf.

While I said over and over again that I couldn’t wait to get off campus so I didn’t have to eat another tater tot casserole for breakfast when there was LITERALLY nothing else to eat. However, the other day when I found out that there was chicken tortilla soup in the caf, I about cried when I realized that I couldn’t have it.

The solution: freshman.

6. Cooking will bring out everyone's true colors.

In a three minute period, it seems as though one of my roommates can put together a five-course meal, with potato soup, a full turkey with seasoning, a blue cheese and avocado salad, and chocolate mousse cake, and then have leftovers for the day later.

And then I make a three-minute ramen noodle. Can you tell I hate cooking yet?

7. Even though it feels like you have no idea what you're doing--everything is always fine.