This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
6 Things I Learned in My First Six Weeks in College
Approximately six weeks ago I began a new, exciting, and scary chapter of my life
called college. I began what some call the “best four years of your life” with 4,000
fellow strangers. Now, over a month after move-in day I’d like to share with you six
things I have learned since starting college at the best university in the world.
1. You’re on your own.
No matter what your life has been like up to this point, college is the first
time you are truly on your own. After a few hours of unpacking the
containers that we spent months packing, my parents and I said our
goodbyes outside my dorm. Tears were shed and hugs were given before I
walked myself through the front door of my dorm and into the elevator
without looking back. That was it; I was alone.
It’s a weird feeling being on your own. Suddenly, your choices become
entirely yours. I became responsible for myself and myself only. I had to
order textbooks, wash my clothes, get myself to class, and make friends.
When I became sick two weeks into college, I needed to self-diagnose myself
and to figure out which medicine to take from the small pharmacy my mom
gave me. I make every decision, and I get to decide how to spend my time. I
had to learn to be on my own and to thrive in this independence.
2. Friends become your family.
On August 15th, I arrived on Clemson’s campus knowing roughly no one.
The first week consisted of random handshakes, awkward elevator
conversations, and telling too many people your hometown/major/extracurriculars.
Icebreakers became the norm, and any connection made seemed like hope.
You clutched onto anything that brought a comfort.
Somewhere in all this chaos, I found a group of people to get me through
that first month of college. They’ve seen me at my worst and at my best. Even
though it’s only been six weeks, we’ve become a family. It is only with your
family that you can find someone to get dinner with every night, take weekly
Walmart trips, and spend weeknights talking/snuggling until 2 a.m. They
have allowed me to be myself. Who else can tolerate you at 11 o’clock at
night as you laugh hysterically on the hallway floor after too much studying?
Because in college, your friends are the family you pick for yourself.
3. T-shirts and shorts are acceptable daily attire.
After 12 years of uniforms, you would think that I would love the
opportunity to dress to impress every day of classes. However, college
students do not care what you wear. At all. When I wake up late after hitting
snooze one too many times, I just grab whatever clothes will get me out of
the door the quickest. The amount of t-shirts I have in my drawers baffles me,
and somehow in the first month of college, they seem to have multiplied.
Orange shirts and norts are chic, right?
4. There are certain college staples of which I’ve become aware.
You can exist and thrive on naps, coffee, peanut butter, and Harcombe
cookies. Two essentials make up for the lack of sleep in college, and two
essentials relieve stress after hours of studying.
I lie to myself every night when I promise that I’ll go to bed before
midnight. But as I climb into bed at 2 am, I have already planned my nap
(naps???) for the next day. Sleep is a beautiful and wonderful thing. And
when sleep isn’t enough, which it never is, coffee fills the gaps with the
delicious taste of caffeine and daily energy. If you see me before noon around
campus, you can bet that I have a cup of coffee in my hands.
Peanut butter and Harcombe cookies are the reason the freshmen 15 is a
thing. When your whole floor has peanut butter eating parties, it’s kind of a
necessity to add it to your weekly Walmart shopping list.
5. College is still school.
College is fun, but you can’t forget that there is class and homework
waiting for you after long nights out. There is a delicate balance that must be
learned in college between schoolwork, studying, social life, sleep, and
sports. I have yet to learn that magical equation, but no class can teach you
that. It must be learned for yourself.
During the first six weeks of college, I had to learn that my schoolwork
needed to get done. I had to plan trips to the library and to schedule SI
sessions into my schedule. High school was just a warm-up for college. It’s
less busy work, but the work is still work. The amount of times I have called
my mother stressed about coursework and majors is quite large. I might have
taken the always available support my parents provided in high school, but
college is shaping me into my own person. I’m learning about biology,
statistics, communication, and most importantly, myself.
6. Clemson is home.
I’m not sure how it happened. Maybe it was when I referred to my dorm as
“home” or when my phone stopped informing me how long it would take to
drive back to hometown. Maybe it was the first time I joined in the chants at
the football game. It doesn’t matter how it happened though. Somewhere
over the course of the past six weeks, I fell in love with Clemson: the people,
the campus, the energy. It brings me joy, and I know in my heart that I belong
here. Clemson has a little piece of my heart that bleeds orange and purple,
and isn’t home where your heart is?