In the most cliché terms possible, I remember my Freshman year like it was yesterday. I remember my first frat party. I remember how cool and exclusive I felt to be “on the list” for one of those functions. I remember communal dorm bathrooms, how someone’s hair was always clogging the drain, and how everyone just walked down the hallway wrapped in only towels. I was very shy and didn’t have a lot of success making friends with most of my floormates freshman year, but it was still comforting to go down the hall and see those familiar faces studying or chatting in the common areas. Freshman year was the best of times and the worst of times (there I go with the clichés again). Now, as a Junior, I see college in a different light, and some things just aren’t the same.
Parties are getting old
As a freshman, one of the most fun things to do on a Friday night was to get ready, go to a party and turn up with your squad. A frat or house party was like every high school dance you ever had on crack. The tunes were bumpin’ and the juice was flowing. The parties also had cool themes like “Jersey Tuesday” or the beach. Now, the same themes that were once so fun are more of a pain than anything. Can’t I just show up in sweatpants? The mixed drinks that were once so thrilling and new to us now taste like bad memories and morning headaches. And also, is that puke on the floor? Why is there no toilet paper in these bathrooms? Why am I getting sweaty just standing here? Why do these freshmen girls keep screaming? Although, you try not to judge too hard because you know you did the same thing when you were 18. Please, just let me finally be 21! With the exception of a fraternity or two that my friends and I still enjoy going to, I’d rather stay in with a movie (and maybe some wine) most nights.
If you still live in a dorm, you’re the minority
I still live in a residence hall because it works better for me financially, and I love it. I don’t have to buy basic amenities like toilet paper, or worry about roommates getting on my nerves. Most importantly, I can still use the dining courts! However, most of my upperclassmen friends live off campus in their own apartments now. This makes it difficult to visit them conveniently. I miss the days when I could just walk right across the street to the neighboring dorm and be at my friend’s place. It’s also really awkward when acquaintances assume I live in an apartment because I’m an upperclassmen.
“So are we *doing whatever event* at your place tonight?”
“Well, my “place” is a dorm room, and it’s approximately the size of a shoebox…..oh, and we’ll get in trouble if we’re too loud, but if you don’t mind that, then sure.”
Sometimes you’re that “old af” one in your classes
I’m currently in a chemistry class that is primarily comprised of freshmen. This is why you need to do well in all your classes the first time around. You don’t want to have to re-take any courses later on and basically be the only senior citizen in your class. The freshmen are all sort of cute in a way. At the beginning of the year, they were so excited and bright-eyed, but after the first exam, I saw the light begin to leave their eyes. I feel ya kiddos. In lab, all they do is yell out dirty jokes and memes. It’s actually sort of entertaining sometimes. Now I have so much more respect for the TAs who deal with this crap. It’s like being in high school all over again. You know those kids in high school who would just talk back to the teacher and make smartass comments to try to be funny? The freshmen in my chemistry class act like that 24/7. Sometimes they make references to being in high school just a few months ago, and I sit there thinking, “WHOA, I HAVEN’T BEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS.” So young.
It’s time to actually figure out the future
Gone are the days of saying, “One day.” One day is here, and graduation is coming soon. Four years go by so much quicker than you initially think. Time is running out, and we all actually have to start genuinely planning for life post-graduation. Straight into the workforce? Graduate school? It seems so overwhelming that adulthood is actually, you know, starting. However, it all ends up working out for most people, and chances are, everything will work out for you too.