Tomorrow, I will be moving out of my childhood home and moving into the dorms for the third time. Move-in day is always inevitably stressful. Living away from home is a very big adjustment. This is not my first rodeo with living away from home, and recently, I've been thinking about some of the things I've learned throughout my years living away from my parents. Here are just a few things that you may learn after you move out of your childhood home:
1. You Will Miss Home
I'm sure you have uttered the words "I can't wait to move out" many times within the last six months. I know I said it a few times during my senior year. I am here to assure you that there will be times that you will lay in bed at night and miss home. You will miss your parents. You will miss your siblings. You will miss your pets. Whether you move five minutes or over 100 miles away from home, you will still miss your parent's cooking or the warmth of your own bed.
2. You will have new-found freedoms.
With freedom comes great responsibility, or something like that. You will no longer have your parents watching your every move. If you want to stay out with friends until 4 a.m. the night before an 8 a.m. test, nobody will tell you otherwise. Whether you choose to attend that 8 a.m. class is up to you, as well. This freedom can be fun, but it can also be very damaging to your academic career. I have learned that college is all about balance. I have had my fair share of late nights and skipping class, but I have learned that I have to work extra hard in class to make up for them. I am in no means encouraging anyone to skip class or stay out late, but it is important to still have fun in college. Get your work done and have fun!
3. Life at home will continue despite your absence.
When I moved out, I was under the impression that I would still always be in the loop with what goes on at home. Your family is not going to be sitting around all the time waiting for your return. They will do fun things without you from time to time. This is hard to come to terms with. I realized that my previous impression was incorrect when I found out that my family had started a group chat without including me. I'm still mad about it.
4. Things will get messy.
Like I said, your parents will no longer be there to tell you what to do. With that, they will not be there to remind you to clean your room. Unless you are a particularly neat person, your room will get messy very quickly. You can live in filth all you want, just make sure to get your room looking neat when your parents come to visit!
5. Your friends become like family.
I never considered myself a very social person in high school. I was a bit of a home body and preferred being alone. They always say that you find your "forever friends" while in college. So far, I have known this to be true. While in college, I have found a group of friends that I can completely be myself around. They love me for who I am and I love them like family. These friends are such blessings in my life, and they make college fun!
6. You will change.
You will learn a lot about yourself after you move out of your parents home. You will no longer be the person you were in high school. Throughout college, you learn and grow into the person you want to be. There is often a bad stigma about somebody changing. I know that I have heard the words "She's changed" said as an insult. This does not have to be an insult. Change is good. College is a transition into adulthood. Obviously change will be involved. Embrace it!
These are just a few of the lessons I've learned after moving out of my childhood home. I have absolutely loved every minute of my time in college so far. I hope this article helps any eager freshmen that will be moving out within the next few weeks. Get ready to embark on one of the most rewarding journeys of your life!
