Today I started my third week of college at Minnesota State Moorhead. I have survived welcome week, finding my classes on the first day, and being an awkward loner in the dining hall. Even though I have yet to be here for a month, I have already experienced many thoughts and problems that only a new college student can relate to.
1. "Unlimited Freedom!"
This is probably the first thought anybody heading off to college has. As a high school senior, that independence you've been dreaming about since you were a freshman is finally a reality! Without your parents' constant supervision, you can now midnight order that pizza you were thinking about in ethnics class. Not to mention unlimited sleepovers with your friends, late nights trips on the weekdays, and unlimited trips to Target.
2. "Dorm Life!"
I remember when I first moved into my dorm, my roommate and I couldn't wait to sleep in our new home. We spent months coordinating and planning, and the day had come for us to officially be residents! Living in the dorms provided us with a great opportunity to meet people and make a million new friends! We couldn't wait!!
3. "Never mind, where is my apartment?"
Soon reality sets in, and you accept the dorm life isn't wait you paned it out to be. Those first few months are spent moving your seven fans around the room, trying to find the perfect airflow to avoid a mild heatstroke. Your collectables and your roommate's belongings are piling up on any open space they can find. Not to mention climbing fourteen flights of stairs to your room is enough to convince yourself you don't need the gym.
4. "Whose idea was this 8 AM?"
Nothing fills a college student with daily regret like the impact of an early morning class. Getting up early to get classes out of the way and leave the rest of your day free all seemed like a good idea a few months ago. Now every morning you pick yourself up, and stumble across campus in your onesie muttering curses to yourself.
5. I'm so looking forward to that nap."
After a few short weeks, college starts to take a mental tole on the student. You've wrote a novel full of notes, read the bible for your religions class quiz, and created a gallery for the campus art studio. From the moment you leave your bed every morning, all you can think about is "gee I sure am excited for that three hour nap in my sauna dorm room."
6. "I don't have the brain capacity for this"
Transitioning from the load of homework in high school to college could be a job on its own. After three days on campus, you've already received the workload you had all four years in high school. You spend hours with your notebook religiously, and are starting to wear the letters off your computer's keyboard. You've come to accept that college requires the same time commitment as full time job.
7. "Wow, college is great"
Yes, college does have it's unforgiving challenges, but where would we go in life if we were not forced to find our true potential? The homework load is overwhelming, and a time where you are not exhausted is rare. However, you are exposed to thousands of new individuals to meet, have unlimited independence to experience with, and a wide variety of new sports and clubs to try out. College is the time you take to find yourself, and form who you will be in the future.
