College is glorified to high school students. It’s always talked about as the “best experience of your life.” Nothing is wrong in happy college land. But that is not even close to true.
College is awesome. You get to sleep later and there are always parties that you’re invited to, but everyone seems to forget what happens behind those Instagram posts. For me, college was a harder transition than I ever imagined. I’m the kid who has been counting down the days until I could get out of my house since seventh grade, but here I am with five weeks to go, on FaceTime with my mom for over and hour crying that I miss her so much. There’s a lot no one tells you about those first few months of college. This may not apply to all, and it might be a slower or faster transition, but here’s some knowledge I wish I knew a few months back.
First and foremost, I wish someone had told me how hard the transition to living at school is. A lot changes when you go to college. For the fist time ever, you’ll probably be living with a roommate who you didn’t meet until move in day, a lot of the time, you’re going to live in a whole new state, and you will be away from your family and the comfort of your house and hometown. Your parents won’t be just down the hall to comfort you or clean your room and your best friend is probably hundreds of miles away. It is new and exciting, but it is scary. No one prepared me for this and I was in shock, a girl who has always been super independent, when I was calling my family members nightly just to feel like I was home with them again. The reality of it is, we’re still kids and this is a tough move. It takes time and at the end of my second semester I still can’t say I’m fully adjusted to these new arrangements, but I’ve made it work and I know it can only get better from here on out.
Next, I wish someone had told me how different the school part of college really is. No more waking up at the crack of dawn, which is great in every way shape and form, but there is also no more mom and dad screaming at you to wake up and get to school. You know, sometimes alarm clocks just don’t do the trick. I admit it, I’ve slept through a class (or two) because now I am fully on my own to get myself up and out for the day. This takes practice, but eventually you’ll find an alarm tone that will get you up, at least most of the time. Also, even though the amount of hours you’re in class is much shorter, that does not mean the hours you will be focusing on school are much shorter. Try doubling those hours you spent studying in high school, then tripling them for midterms and finals. And every single test, project, and assignment you do will require more time, more effort, and will count for a bigger part of your grade than ever before.
Finally, I wish someone had told me how difficult it would be to be thrust into a brand new social situation. Don’t fret; you’re going to make friends. But going to that first party mostly alone is scary. Your mom made all of your friends for you when you were a kid, and they were your friends through high school graduation, but now it’s up to you. It is crazy intimidating to go up to another girl who is actually in your same boat and just introduce yourself. Then cliques will start to form and you’ll panic but everything will eventually fall into place. Making friends when you’re on your own is hard especially when everyone in front of you is a completely foreign to everything you once knew.
There’s nothing easy about college, but college will hold some of the best friends and memories of your life. Cheering on a sports team you truly care about and are connected to is amazing, and the nights you got deliriously tired alongside your friends in the library are the nights you’ll remember forever. So take this as a word of caution, but do not fear, for college has a lot of great times in store.