You know what they say about high school, everyone is best friends after graduation. I am about a month into my freshman year of college and can attest that this is the truth.
Last fall, when I applied to college one of the factors that I took into consideration was people from home or activities that already (or were likely to) attend the school. Not that going to Wisconsin was an “escape” path in any way, but it seemed more open compared to my in-state options. By the time May 1st rolled around, about 60 kids from my high school (graduating class of 1000) were committed to Madison. While some of this has to do with the genuine increasing popularity of the school, if I am being honest, a lot of it has to do with no one from my high school getting into Michigan. As someone who didn’t peg Wisconsin as a backup choice, I found this a bit annoying. Here’s a little look into what happens when you accidentally go to college with everyone from high school.
- All of your college friends think you are *so* popular
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Walking around campus, it seems inevitable that I will see someone I know. A girl I have known since 5th grade even ended up living on the same floor of my dorm. Sometimes it can be really nice or even comforting to see a friendly face around campus or in your 200 person lecture hall. All of my new college friends are confused as to how I know so many people and joke that I am “just so popular.” I usually laugh it off, because a majority of the time, my fellow high school classmates and I will walk past each other, make eye contact and pretend nothing happened and that we haven’t known each other since we both had braces. If it was someone I actually talked to or had a class with, we will share a polite smile or wave, but that is usually the extent of the interaction.
- Always have a concert buddy
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One of the advantages of going to school in Madison is that you get all the artists that come just for college students, and the ones that just come to the town for their normal tour. In general, I probably (definitely) spend way too much money on concert tickets, but luckily I was able to save some money this semester by buying a lot of my tickets ahead of time. One of the perks of going to college with 60 kids you already know is that at least one of them is bound to have similar taste in music. Over the summer, I talked with one of my friends and we were able to buy tons of tickets before they were sold out (cough cough AJR) or before the prices got way too high.
- Reinventing yourself seems impossible
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I in no way dislike who I am as a person or who I was in high school. However, the first weeks of college are the time for new beginnings and finding ~your people~ in this huge scary place. One really annoying thing about going to college with everyone you have known since your Limited Too days is that everything seems to follow you. Like that one girl you met in psychology class that seems super nice and you would love to get to know better. Sounds awesome, right? Well you can’t do this on your own terms because her roommate was your lab partner sophomore year of highschool so she has already heard all about you. Obviously this can be a really positive or negative thing, depending on your relationship with the common person. Sometimes it can be great, and people can vouch for you and “how funny” or “down-to-earth” you are. Sometimes, they can tell them about when you had the stomach flu and ran out of the classroom to throw up that one time in 5th grade.
- You always have an ‘in’ at parties
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When you went to a high school as large as mine, odds are that you know tons of kids that ended up in Greek life at your school. When it comes to rush, this can be awesome, as there is usually a familiar face in the room (or it can be the worst thing ever and they can tell everyone that stomach flu story). The bonus I didn’t expect when it came to Greek life was that you will most likely know a guy in EVERY single frat. Need your name on a list at the door? Say you know Johnny. Sure, you haven’t talked to him since gym class in 7th grade, but that’s not the point. Knowing 50+ kids from your grade alone really has its advantages when it comes to ~networking~ for parties.
- Someone always gets it
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An added benefit of going to college with so many people you know is that there will always be someone who gets you and understands things in the same way you do. College is a crazy place and you are bound to meet people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles (and if you aren’t then we have a different problem). Sometimes it can be nice to feel the comfort that someone from home brings. Even just walking past them on the street or standing together in line at the dining hall can remind you of home and make a big place feel ~small~.
While I didn’t go to my in-state school, I still ended up with some of the things I tried to avoid. In turn, I also had some really unexpected advantages. Last May, I was pretty annoyed with the number of kids I knew going to Wisconsin. But for better or for worse, I am surrounded by the same kids I have known since their Chuck E. Cheese birthday parties.