I am rapidly approaching the end of my freshman year of college and I wanted to share a few of the things that I wish I would have known going in.
1. You may not become best friends with your roommate(s).
When I moved into my room and met my roommate, I hoped for the best. I was hopeful that we would eat meals together, hang out on the weekends, and maybe hit a few parties together. I was completely wrong. We didn’t have much in common and that causes certain tensions to rise between the two of us. I think we both realized that if we were to get along we needed to keep to ourselves. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes you are best friends with your roommate, while other times you just can’t find much common ground.
2. You will have to eat alone every now and then.
Even though you made a group of friends, they will not always be available to eat with you. You will not always have company in the cafeteria. I cannot stress this enough. When I first realized this, I was embarrassed. Sure you can take your meals to go and eat in your room, but sometimes you don’t have the time. Then I realized that there were other people eating by themselves and that eating alone was okay. Nobody was looking at me, nor judging me because I was sitting alone because that is completely normal.
3. You may be thrown into a couple of situations that make you uncomfortable.
I went to a movie night on the football field with a bunch of people that I had just met. There weren’t enough seats in the car, so I ended up squished between two guys. However, when we got there, we all sat on one blanket and shared snacks. What started as an uncomfortable situation ended up being a way to bond with my new friends. Trust me, you will find yourself in these kinds of situations, but you should ride them out because you never know what is at the end.
4. It’s okay to get homesick.
I was surprised that I got homesick in the first place. Maybe it was because everyone thought it was weird when I said “supper” instead of “dinner.” Maybe it was not doing Sunday dinner with my entire extended family every week. Either way, I found myself wanting to go home after a long week at school. Not everyone was like me. A lot of my friends were excited for the weekends because it brought parties and sleeping in, but I just wanted to go talk to my mom and eat some rice and gravy. I’m not saying that I didn’t have fun at college, but every once in awhile I craved comfort.
5. You don’t always find your group of friends right away.
In my first quarter at Louisiana Tech, I became friends with a group of girls that lived in my dorm. When a lot of drama started up and fights arose, I withdrew from them. I ended up becoming really close friends with a group of guys instead. Sometimes people don’t click with others. It may take a while to find friends that you can truly rely on.
6. You won’t get any slack from your teachers.
I was hoping that as a freshman my teachers would allow for small mistakes or misunderstandings because we had never done this whole college thing. My advice is to listen to everything they say, do exactly as they say, and read the syllabus.
7. It’s okay to not join anything in the first semester.
Just getting adapted to this new way of life is hard enough. You don’t have your parents keeping up with your schedule and have to find time to go to class, study, work, and eat. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to add a club or society to your load.
8. Your first friend may not last.
I made several friends throughout my first quarter that I no longer talk to, but it’s not because we don’t like each other. It’s because if you don’t see that person every day or talk to them every day, it is easy to lose them in the fold of other college students around you. You may say “hey” if you pass them on campus, but that may be where the conversation will end.
9. College is like no other experience.
Being able to go to parties or going out with friends without your parents’ permission is freeing. Though it can be extremely stressful at times because you’re balancing wanting to have fun and making good grades. College is filled with moments that make you want to cry and moments that you never want to end.
10. You’re going to have a great time.
College is filled with many firsts and moments that you never want to forget.
I hope that this was helpful and will give you a better idea of what to expect for your first year of college. Don’t worry college is an adventure.