This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter.
The first few weekends on campus, I spent a lot of my time in my bed, eating PopTarts and texting my mom. This is literally the exact opposite of the college I was promised by watching college sitcoms and reading magazine articles about freshman year. I expected to be at parties or hanging out in friend’s dorm rooms or….something. One of the things everyone failed to remind me was the fact that it takes a lot of time to find things to do on campus, let alone friends to do them with.
Here are a few more things nobody ever told me about being a freshman in college:
You Have Access To Pizza Basically All Day, Every Day
Everywhere you look you will see something to do with pizza. Personally, I can see two pizza places directly from my dorm room window, as well as the pizza bar in the dining hall and the large amount of pizza coupons handed to me the first week of school in my desk drawer.
You Will Never Have Any Money Ever Again
Although you have unlimited access to pizza, you will never be able to buy any because as soon as you go to college you will have no money to do fun things, until you find a job that works with your class schedule that is. No one told me how depressing it is to spend what little money you have on things you need, instead of things you want. Last week I had to use the last bit of cash I had in my wallet on laundry detergent instead of a soft pretzel. This was the first time I ever felt like an adult.
It’s Four In The Morning And I’m Still Awake Doing Homework!
Say goodbye to a regular sleep schedule. For the next few years you will be awake until the sunrise at least once a month doing homework because of various reasons. Examples include waking up at 2am and forgetting you have an assignment due in seven hours, you procrastinated a five-page paper until the night before it is due, you spent too much time daydreaming about that pizza place you can see from your window or maybe you made a powerpoint presentation covering Miley Cyrus’ hair over the past five years instead of physics assignments. To each their own excuse, but we’ve all been there.
There Are Boys Literally Everywhere
Even in the lounge area of an all girls themed dorm floor at 2 a.m. right as you’re walking back to your room from a late Saturday shower. It’s like they appear out of thin air at the worst possible times. Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here? I don’t have time for these kind of questions, I’m basically naked.
Buy A Pair Of Galoshes
WHAT?! I never thought anybody actually wore these but apparently in college it will definitely pour on your best hair day and you will still have to walk to a class all the way across campus. The least you can do for yourself is have dry feet.
Bring A Lot Of Underwear
The more underwear you bring the less laundry you have to do. No further explanation for this one.
There’s going to be a lot of new experiences when you first go away to college, but it’s all part of the experience. Hopefully nothing scared you too much when you first went away to school!