1. Your campus is most likely two times the size of your town if not more.
There probably aren’t any buildings taller than four stories in your entire county back home.
Even on a small campus like Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN, I have trouble navigating where all the buildings are, and I miss seeing the wide-open skies of my small Midwest town. I would suggest giving yourself an extra five minutes between classes just to find each classroom since, if you’re like me, you’ll have trouble finding your way in any building taller than three stories. You can also enjoy these extra few minutes to take in the beautiful nature surrounding the campus. Trust me, it’s worth it.
2. There’s elevators everywhere
Don’t be this guy.
Never in your life will you have ridden in an elevator more than you will at college. Other than the rickety old school elevator reserved for injured football players, there wasn’t a single elevator in your entire county. There’s always the stairs, but trust me, you can get used to this change.
3. Your “unique” fashion sense is pretty basic
Yeah, this? Suuuuper basic at college. Your special trip to buy this at a Target that was at least a 30-minute drive now looks like nothing when you buy Easy Mac there every weekend. Suddenly, the fashion world is only a short car ride away. And it’s probably on sale.
You could be the most fashionable girl in your small high school class of 25-150 students, but here you’re just another face in the Hunter boots-clad crowd. Get over yourself, stare at your closet, and start figuring out what exactly is your own personal style. Be basic if you want. Own it. Just know that you have options now.
4. Your friends think your hometown food sounds “exotic”
No matter where you’re coming from, whether it’s kolaches or grilled onaga, your friends have probably never heard of it. It makes you want to question how they have survived this long.
You probably went to your college thinking about all the new foods you’ll be trying in this enticing, more urban environment (even if “more urban” means Ames, Iowa). However, when you tell your friends that one of your favorite holidays foods is lefse, you’ll be the one being told how “exotic” and “foreign” it sounds.
Whether you’re from Minnesota, Hawaii, Rhode Island, or Vietnam, the everyday food that you don’t think twice about is probably really exciting to your friends. Make it for them one night, and they’ll love you forever.
5. You can walk places (besides the bar or bakery)
This adorable muppet-looking creature is only one 25-minute walk away. He’ll be there to save the day. You could drive for twice that long back home and still not hit a McDonalds.
If you were lucky, you could walk to your high school. If you were lucky and cool, you drove even if you lived on the same street as your school. If you weren’t lucky but still cool, you’d drive 90 miles an hour down country roads just to have time to stop at the local bakery and buy breakfast before the tardy bell rang. Everything was at least a short drive. Now, you can walk places. Not just the corner bar or bank, but actual places. Restaurants, zoos, shopping malls. You name it, you can probably walk there. Or, you can really feel like a city slicker and take an Uber or taxi.
6. Speaking of bars, you can’t go there anymore (unless you have a legal I.D.)
Want a water? I.D., please. Want to come in to pick up a friend? I.D., please. Want to order a basket of fries and steak tips, but no alcohol? I.D., please.
Say goodbye to the days of seeing your grandma’s friends enjoying a Wednesday night with burgers at the local bar, of little kids running under barstools and messing around with the jukebox in the corner. The bars in your new town are not the only watering holes anymore, so they actually follow the rules. It’s crazy to think that you can’t walk into the corner pub and order a Coke and cheeseburger, but that’s the way it is when you leave the rural world.
7. You’ll miss your hometown (even if you vow that you won’t)
Hopefully you’re not crying quite this much, but no judgement. Small towns are worth crying over for better or for worse.
If you’re from a small town, you know that they aren’t the magical little villages people make them out to be in pop culture. Every small town has their own dramatic stories, fights between families, drug problems, etc. But, once you leave that environment, you definitely see what everyone else has been seeing: they do have a certain charm about them. Just like that bracelet your cousin made you that you don’t want to wear anymore, but is stuck to your wrist, you learn to appreciate it. You always told yourself you “weren’t like those small town girls,” but you’ve learned that you should be proud to be from this tiny corner of the planet where you can wake up to the sound of birds without even thinking twice about it. Which brings me to my last point…
8. It’s Okay to Be Proud of Your Hometown, But It’s Also Okay to Change Habits and Viewpoints
Remember, as amazing as The Amanda Show was, college can be that, too.
There’s plenty of amazing life lessons and values to learn growing up in a small town. Never forget that. But, never forget that there are also lessons, values, and viewpoints that you just didn’t get to experience living in a town whose hottest hangout on a Friday night was the gas station. Make friends with every single kind of human being to make up for this lack of exposure, try a new food every week, visit a museum or an art gallery, listen to new music. The simple life is great, but now it’s time to experience a whole new world that’s waiting for you to enjoy it. So, fellow small town collegiate, go out there and live your best life!