Although we are currently in our second semester of school there is still a lot for first-time freshman to grow accustomed to (including myself) and for some, spring semester is their first time attending a university with about 30,000 other students. So, without further ado, here are some of the greatest culture shocks that young adults experience while attending college.
Close your eyes and picture with me: remember that nice private room that you had all to yourself and the home that you could roam through looking for privacy? Now open them back up to the shared room along a long hallway of other cramped spaces with nothing CLOSE to enough space for all your clothes… Goodbye personal closet.
As an out-of-state student there is nothing more shocking than the shift from jagged mountains in your westerly view to hills, and more hills… At least it’s not completely flat!
If you ever attended basketball games at your high school there could be no better opposite than what awaits you in the Allen Fieldhouse arena.
Even though you don’t encounter TOO MANY lectures throughout your time at KU those lectures of up to 300 students CAN be a bit intimidating, and boring. Mostly boring.
Goodbye home cooked balanced meals and hello dorm food! Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that the Freshman 15 is possible but with an ice cream dispenser and wall of soda, then again it isn’t too difficult to comprehend.
Remember your room and house? Now remember something far more precious… YOUR BATHROOM. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t slightly cringe when walking into the communal bathroom, ah the luxury of soaking in the tub.
*With a slight tear running down face* Once again, those good ol’ days when mom did your laundry for you and you found perfect piles of folded laundry on your bed. Now half of a day spent in the dorm basement and piles beyond comprehension.
Definitely not like the high school ones at home and plenty of times getting just a little bit out of hand.
Remember feeling justified about complaining about finals in high school? Yeah, the reality hits when your first semester is approaching and you become that student who scoffed at others pulling all-nighters… It’s okay, we’ve all been there.
Whether you blow it all the first month or live like a “crab” (ha, Spongebob reference) money takes on a whole new meaning when entering college as a Freshman (word of advice: SPEND WISELY! i.e. not all on booze and snacks, try getting REAL food).