Moving away from school and going away to college is one of the most exciting experiences of your life. Whether you’re an hour and a half from home or 2,000 miles away, it’s all the same. You pack up your bags and you move into that new, weird, and uncomfortable room, everything changes. Here are 10 things nobody ever told you about going away to college.

1. You mess up … a lot.

You start to make a lot of mistakes, whether it’s not studying hard enough, getting lost on campus, asking dumb questions in class, or loosing control of your life altogether, you really start to see if you are ready to live on your own.

2. You will lose all privacy.

You can’t go and lock yourself in your room anymore and escape the world. Whether you’re living in a dorm, an apartment, or a Greek house, roommates are everywhere.

3. You’ll realize how much your own shower means to you.

When community bathrooms are your only option, you cannot wait for the day you get to throw out those hideous shower flip-flops.

4. You will get sick, ALL THE TIME.

Constantly being surrounded by thousands and thousands of students, sickness spreads at an alarmingly rapid rate, and you will feel gross, sick, and dirty 24/7.

5. You’ll miss your pets more than anyone else.

Remember the days when you would come into your house after a long day of school, and your dog would run to the door super excited when you finally got home? Nobody will ever be that excited to see you after a day of class here on campus.

6. You’ll be broke.

I have everything I need, what could I possibly spend my money on? Absolutely anything and everything. Whether you’re treating your floor to Mad Mush because you’re a rock star or you’re trying to avoid the dining courts, expenses add up and you’ll start to really evaluate your spending habits.

7. You’ll never want to do your laundry.

Except when you physically have no more clothes to wear and you realize you start to smell.

8. You’ll forget what a good night's sleep feels like.

Between pulling an all-nighter studying, or just pulling an all-nighter partying, sleep becomes less and less familiar as the years go by.

9. Freshman 15 or freshman 50?

All of this food right at your disposal seems very, VERY exciting, but if you’re not careful the freshman 15 flies right out the window, and you’re packing on more pounds than you’d like to admit.

10. You realize that this is the final step before you really start your life.

This is NOT a drill. If you think college is going to be anything like high school, I’m sorry for whoever lied to you. This will be the most stressful, draining, and amazing four years of your life, but it will all be worth it. I promise.