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21 Things No One Told You Would Happen in College

College was our Barbie Dream House, that thing we always worked towards and saw as the moment our real lives would begin. So far, college has been the most amazing time of our lives, but there were definitely a few things people forgot to mention. Here’s what nobody told you would happen in college:

1. Poverty. Endless poverty.

2. The “easiest” college classes actually require a ton of effort, and everyone was lying to you.

3. You’re going to blow most of your money on late night snacks.

4. You will begin to find it perfectly acceptable to binge-watch nine seasons of a show during a semester…or maybe just a few weeks…days?

5. No matter how strong your alcohol tolerance is, you’re going to throw up sometimes. Just accept it.

6. Casually dropping 200+ dollars on a textbook.

7. Painfully dropping 400+ dollars on a textbook––that your professor wrote.

8. You’re 100 percent going to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 lbs.

9. Every few weeks you’ll consider going vegan because all your friends are doing it.

10. You’re going to live with at least one psycho roommate, but odds are it will probably happen more than once.

11. Your best thinking happens at 2 a.m.

12. Halfway through your freshman year you start to actually enjoy talking to your mom on the phone.

13. You will see hot people EVERYWHERE!

14. But not get to date any of them.

15. You’re going to alternate between completely letting yourself go and then spending four hours plucking your eyebrows to perfection.

16. There will always be a large, strange smelling pile of dirty dishes in your sink.

17. Having a car sets you up to be a perfect freshman slave to your upperclassmen friends.

18. Going to class is actually considered cool, and being friends with your professor is even cooler.

19. Interestingly enough, the library can be a terrible place to study because all your friends are there and quiet hours don’t really exist.

20. Did we mention poverty?

21. Oh yeah, and fire drills still happen. 

Gina was formerly the Beauty & Culture Editor at Her Campus, where she oversaw content and strategy for the site's key verticals. She was also the person behind @HerCampusBeauty, and all those other glowy selfies you faved. She got her start in digital media as a Campus Correspondent at HC Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she graduated in 2017 with degrees in English and Theater. Now, Gina is an LA-based writer and editor, and you can regularly find her wearing a face mask in bed and scrolling through TikTok.