College classes officially start this week, so by now we should all be (almost) settled in to either a dorm room or new apartment/house. Being a sophomore meant that I had the power to make the most important decision of my young life: would I live in the residence halls again or branch out and find off-campus housing in an apartment or house? This decision was made shortly before spring break last year and last Monday I finally moved in my adorable little house with two of my closest friends. As much fun as this new kind of excitement is, I have discovered a series of stages that we all went through upon moving into our first college house.

1. Realizing that you have to decorate a living room and kitchen along with your bedroom and bathroom.

In the dorms it was easy: you had your room and maybe a shared bathroom (if you're lucky). School shopping became a whole lot harder whenever I realized that I had about four different rooms that needed decorations and essential items.

2. Finally finding the perfect throw pillows to match any and all furniture in your house.

Am I basic for saying I love throw pillows? From Urban Outfitters to Society6, you can find throw pillows to cater to any heart's desire.

3. Not knowing your new zip code so stuff you ordered online gets shipped to China instead of you.

Okay this one actually happened to me the week before I moved in, and honestly getting an email saying that your stuff was shipped to China instead of OKLAHOMA is kind of a downer.

4. Picking up your keys from the housing office on move in day.

Need I say more? Getting the keys to your very first house is almost like getting your college acceptance letter.

5. When having your own bathroom means that you don't have to wear shower shoes.

If you were in a community-style residence hall, you know the struggle of losing a shower shoe on a night that you absolutely need to shower. This problem doesn't exist in your first college house because each person has their own bathroom (which is perfect for an all girls house).

6. Not being used to the new noises when you're trying to fall asleep the first night.

From the air conditioning turning on to the neighboring train tracks, trying to fall asleep with so many weirdly loud new noises is a struggle.

7. Having friends constantly ask when you're throwing a party.

If you have friends in apartments or sorority houses, you can feel the struggle on this one. Having your own house by nature makes you the "party house" so good luck to all people in this position.

8. The night you decide to cook anything that isn't ramen noodles or pizza rolls.

Being at home meant you had home cooked meals available almost every night, and living in a dorm meant microwaveable foods only. The night you decide to branch out and utilize every appliance in your kitchen can be one of the most scary and messy nights you could experience, but is always always worth in the end.

9. When a roommate brings a boy over for the first time.

This one is exciting and always makes for a "proud mom" moment. This night is when you get to casually make yourself known by either "accidentally" dropping something on the tile or subtly walking into the kitchen to get that bottle of water you've been dying for. I prefer the latter because then I can text my roommate and tell her how much I approve of her choices (or just tweet about it to make her feel awkward).

10. Finding out that your neighbors are rowdy boys who throw parties every night.

The gif speaks for itself.

11. Inviting your freshman friends over so you can prep them on what to expect the first day of classes.

Meeting freshman babies is one of the best things about being an upperclassmen in college, especially when you "adopt" your sorority friends' temp littles from bid day. It is your job to be the guide for them in the craziness that is the freshman year of college.

12. Turning everyday into something to celebrate since you're actually living on your own.

Living on your own, outside of any actual adult supervision, is something to celebrate. Whether you celebrate this by baking brownies or throwing a party, you'll make an excuse to do something fun every night.

13. Making a master plan to set your roommate up with one of your guy friends.

This one is hyper-realistic for the girls I live with. With three of us in the house, two of us are bound to find a guy that seems like the perfect match for our third roommate. If he 'casually' drops by the house one day with our guy friends, who are we to stop it?

14. When someone comes over and is rude to you but you have the power to kick them out whenever you want.

It's your home, therefore you make the rules. End of story.

15. Being reminded that school is about to start.

Moving into your first house is fun...until you have to get back to the reality of school the next week.

All of this can and has occurred within just one week of living outside of RA and parental supervision. It may have had a slightly chaotic start, but I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.