1. Things change
Friends change, home changes, life changes. The relationships with my friends from have home shifted, while new relationships with new friends from school have formed. Going home feels different now, like its still my home but I have another home now too. Everything changes.
2. You don’t love everyone you meet
I feel like when I thought about college before coming here, I thought that everyone I met would be my new best friend and that college would just be a mosh of super likable people. It’s not. It is just like regular life, where you like some of the people you meet, and the rest of the people you meet give you a bad vibe, or a weird vibe, or a high-strung vibe.
3. Don’t judge a book by its cover
That being said, some of the people that I didn’t think I would be friends with when I first met them are my closer friends now. The people I thought would be my “friends for life” that I met the first weekend are not that close to me anymore. It takes time to get to know people; take the time.
4. You actually have to do work
I feel like in every show, movie, or book about people in college, all the people do is sit around in a common room and talk or go out. NOT the case. Homework is very, very real.
5. It is possible to write a decent paper in two hours
Sometimes, there just isn’t enough time in the day. It happens to everyone. I will say, though, that I know from experience that it is very possible to crank out a decent paper in two hours.
6. Leggings and a sweatshirt are a uniform
In high school, especially my senior year, I was THAT girl who dressed up every day. Now, I’m lucky if I put on jeans. The thought of getting dressed up to go to only two classes a day and then do homework just does not seem appealing, nor does it make sense to me. Leggings and a sweatshirt are the way to go.
7. Everyone is right when they tell you to “get involved”
You know how your mom, and your high school counselor, and your tour guide from your college visit, and basically everyone else is always saying to get involved? Well, it turns out they just might be right. It is hands down the best way to meet people, but also to get a feel for your school and open doors. 10/10 would recommend.
8. Go with the flow
College is ever changing. Everyone and everything around you is always ebbing and flowing. Go with the flow. It’s extra tiring (and trust me, you’re already tired) to try and fight the flow. Everything happens for a reason and everything tends to work out, so don’t stress too much trying to control everything.