With the dropping temperatures of winter in full swing, the inevitability of becoming sick has arrived. The chill in the air combined with living in the close quarters of dorm life means that germs are being passed around at a rapid pace. I hate to say it, but if you haven't already gotten sick in the past few weeks, it is likely to hit you any day now.

Last year was my first encounter with falling ill while not having anyone to take care of me, and I found that getting sick while away at school is a very different experience than getting sick at home. Here are a list of the eight experiences you will face when you get sick while away at college.

1. The first sign arrives:

The first warning sign often goes unnoticed, but if you are a pro at getting sick, sometimes you can catch it. It is that first sneeze or cough that is the catalyst for the events of the days to come. You think that if you chug a glass of Emergen-C or start drinking extra water maybe you can stop it before things get out of control, but usually it is too late. Before you even realize it you are in too deep.

2. Stocking up on essentials:

The trek to the bookstore just about drains all of the remaining life out of you. You buy all the essentials from tissues to medicine to their entire supply of cough-drops. You leave with what feels like an entire pharmacy in your bag. Just make sure to pick up some junk food too because when you are sick, you deserve to eat whatever you want.

3. Strategically planning which classes to miss:

If there isn't an exam, then it is perfect sleeping time. You can always get the notes from someone else, so you bargain with yourself that by skipping class to sleep off your sickness, you are actually helping yourself make sure that you get better faster. And the faster you get better the sooner you can get back to classes. You also tell yourself that by relaxing and doing nothing all day but watching Netflix and napping, you are actually saving all the other people in your classes from getting sick. You are actually doing your civic duty by missing class.

4. Dragging yourself to the health center:

When you hit your peak of sickness and you are pretty sure that you either have a Ebola, Swine Flue or some other deadly disease, you drag yourself to your campus Health Center. After filling out piles of paperwork and sitting in the waiting room feeling like you are about to die, you finally are seen by a medical professional. After probably only three minutes you leave with nothing but a packet of strong Tylenol and a diagnosis of "It is just a cold. Just give it time to run its course."

5. Missing your parents:

When you were still in grade school, sick days often meant having your mom or dad there to wait on you hand and foot. You had someone to remind you when to take more medicine and to always make sure you had enough tissues. Now that you are away at school, nobody is there to take care of you. You are on your own and begin to realize just how much you took your parents care for granted.

6. Forming a tissue mountain:

With nobody there to clean up after you, everything begins to pile up. You start to become buried under piles of cough-drop wrappers, medicine boxes and used tissues. Being constantly surrounded by your own filth probably won't help you get better any quicker, but you are just too run down to clean up after yourself.

7. Wearing your pajamas everywhere:

Classes? Pajamas. Dining Hall? Pajamas. Gym? As if you actually are going to go to the gym. But if you did you probably would wear pajamas too. Being sick means you don't have the time or energy to put on real clothes. If its not warm and fuzzy its not worth wearing. You are going to be uncomfortable internally from all of the sneezing and coughing anyway, so you might as well be comfortable on the outside.

8. Finally starting to feel better:

Finally you start to breathe a bit easier. Your cough-attacks are less frequent. You can get out of bed without feeling like you will faint. And you really start to feel like yourself again. This is also right about the time that your roommate starts to feel a bit achey because you inevitably passed your sickness on to them. Now that you are getting over being sick you can stay as far away from everyone that you spread it to as possible. Enjoy!