Being a first year has made me realize, this is nothing like it is in the movies. There are no epic parties with over 300 people, unrealistic dorms, perfect love stories, endless free time, or the student that does it all. What I learned was to come in with an open mind and be prepared for everything. Only starting school 6 weeks ago means everything is still fresh but here are the top 10 things that have blown my mind as a freshman so far.
- Not wanting to go out all the time is okay-It just means I’m a “Homebody” with a degree in Netflix
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This might be the one thing that blew my mind to the max. Not going out is okay. Yes, it’s fun and all to get dressed up with your friends, take cute photos, and run up to new people and say, “I love you” and then you don’t see them for the rest of the night because it is so crowded, but its not everything. Being curled up in your bed with a good snack, comfy clothes, and an interesting TV show might be all you need. It’s good to stay in sometimes and give your body a good rest because if you keep going and going and going, your body will eventually burn out.
- The Amount of money i have been spending, i might as well have bought a small island
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The one downfall of going to a school with a strip of stores like Target, Walmart, TJ-Max, Ross, and a GIANT Thrift store will be the death of your bank account. The number of times my friends and I have randomly said on a Thursday night, “LET’S GO TO TARGET”, at this point I can’t even count on my hands. I have spent so much money here on random Lego sets, comfy blankets, clothes, and beauty products which I all deemed necessary at the time of purchase but now realize I could have gone without them. Same with food, the amount of times I could have ordered something from Benny’s or Ele’s is so unbelievably high but I just wanted McDonalds or Wendy’s because “I wasn’t feeling it”.
- The dorm bathrooms are straight out of a horror movie
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This one gets me mad. I am not lying when I tell you, THEY ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF A HORROR MOVIE. Coming from a house where I shared a bathroom with one other person has been an adjustment to now sharing a bathroom with DOZENS of strangers. The amount of mess, lack of privacy, and the questionable hygiene in shared places has my jaw on the floor. Not only that but the layout is bad. The showers are super tiny, hot water runs out faster than you can even get in the shower and all of this will leave you with awkward encounters with people you have never even met. Let’s just say I can’t wait to be a upperclassman and get to move into a suite and only share a bathroom with a few other people.
- Wait, my professors are actual humans???
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Yup, you heard it here first, your professors are actually humans! They will cancel class at the last minute or days prior, they will give you their personal phone number, and you can go get life advice and get a response that isn’t sugar coated. I have gone to my professor’s office hours more than expected, I feel like they are already getting sick of me. They are not here to trick you, they are here to help you, but YOU must put in the effort because they won’t make the first move.
- no one telling me what to do and when to do it has become my biggest enemy
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This just might be my biggest problem here. I am such a procrastinator just like every other college student. Being able to lay in bed and do school work and not have to sit in a classroom all day like in high school has become my biggest enemy. I have found myself sleeping till 9:30 for a 10 o’clock class. This is especially hard when you have all later classes like me because your mind is set that you don’t have to be up early for a class so why not just sit in bed and binge watch Love Island all day? I am more likely to put off doing my laundry to the next day because I just can. It was hard to figure out that I actually had to do stuff and I needed to stop putting it off because it would never get done.
- the syllabus isn’t just something your parents have to sign, it’s the college bible
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The class syllabus isn’t just something you get on the first day and never come back to. Most college syllabus have every assignment and when they are due. It is one of the most important papers you will get per class. It will help you plan your entire semester and when you have time to do other stuff. Most professors won’t remind you when assignments are due because you have it in the syllabus. The amount of time I have heard a professor say that we need to refer to the syllabus is greater than I even want to count. Right now, it might just be a paper you want to skip over but soon you will realize that it is the Bible of college.
- homesickness is real, but i didn’t realize i would miss my dog more than my family
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Of course, I miss my family, but I really miss my furry family the most. My dog was always there when I needed her, and she never failed to give me comfort when I needed it the most. Not having her here is one of the biggest adjustments. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my family, and I wish they were here to but there is something just so different than laying down and having your dog jump up next to you and cuddle with you. Even though they aren’t here every day, it just makes seeing them when going home become 100x better.
- all-nighters aren’t cool, but just flat out stupid
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This might be controversial if you have an exam or an assignment that you are cramming to finish but what I have learned is that no ONE assignment or ONE exam/quiz is worth the burnout that comes later. Prioritizing sleep has become a new normal for me. I have learned I do worse on assignments and quizzes if I don’t get my sleep. I would rather go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier to finish an assignment and do some last-minute studying than stay up super late and risk being late to class. You will realize that the first time you stay up all night and then take an exam will make you never want to do it again, it is a game-changer.
- dining hall food will betray you so quick it’s not even funny
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THE DINING HALL IS NOT FOR THE WEAK! I have not eaten in the main dining hall in weeks. Don’t get me wrong, it has options with the main item being different every day and then also having the staples like pizza, burgers, fries, pasta but it will end up hurting your stomach. Most of my friends and I have discovered that even though the dining hall is convenient at times will lead to the root of most of your digestive problems and will teach you that ramen and DoorDash are your new best friends.
- the freshman 15? NOPE, try the freshman flu
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One thing people need to start highlighting is how sick you will get. All people talk about is the freshman 15 because you have unlimited food at your fingertips but getting sick is just worse. I was shocked how sick I have gotten these first few weeks and there is nothing I could do about it. College is just a cesspool of germs. Living so close with so many new people and eating poorly will ultimately lead to all the ickiness you are feeling. Frat Flu is no joke. It will knock you out for days and you will not want to go to class. NyQuil, DayQuil, and Advil will be your best friends and you will not want to let them go especially in the winter months.