It feels like just yesterday that we were all dropped off at school, tightly packed into shoe-box sized dorm rooms with a randomly matched roommate, and left to our own devices as new “adults.” Perhaps this was a loose term used to define us entering the realm of college life; we could set our own schedule, make our own choices, and (cringe) do our own laundry (though I can guarantee most of us paired the most ridiculous outfits to avoid dealing with the heaping dirty clothes pile). So after a whirlwind of hours in the library, unforgettable weekends, and an entirely new group of friends…that’s it, our first year is over. As it was all happening maybe we did not stop to think about what was going on or what was changing. Now reflecting back on the months that are shaping the rest of our college experience, perhaps we learned a lot more about ourselves than we realized. Here are some truths we may have learned this year:
1. Coffee runs in your bloodstream (and controls your life) If you came to college as a “non-coffee drinker,” this caffeinated drink suddenly becomes your reason for existence, a gift from God. A last resort of desperation to keep you up studying will quickly grow into an addiction that you cannot explain (admit it, you know your Starbucks order better than you know what happened in lecture today). One day you are a normal human and the next you are as confrontational as Phil in Kicking and Screaming. You will drink this beverage anytime, any day, any place. It wakes you up for 8 AM you cannot miss because it is review day for the final. It is your lone companion at 11:45 at night, encouraging you as your fingers furiously type away the final words of a paper due in 15 minutes. Alright, so that may be a little dramatic but how else do would you explain that nervous twitch every time you walk by Starbucks?
2. You will pull an all-nighter (in the library) It is inevitable for a lot of students. You look at your schedule and you can physically see that you have a midterm paper due the next week, but something inside of you says you have plenty of time to get it all done. So instead you spend your weekend binge watching Netflix and eating a pint of ice-cream; after all, we just have to know if Chuck and Blair end up together, right?! And after an emotional 48 hours of an emotionally taxing, completely fictional TV series that paper is still waiting for you on Monday. And guess when it is due…Tuesday morning. After beating yourself up for procrastinating perfectly good time to do your work, you grab your fresh coffee and book it to the library for the rest of the day. You’re there until 2 AM when they kick you out, clutching your final draft and last of your sanity, swearing you will never do that to yourself again (only to do it three weeks later).
3. Netflix is the enemyYou bought your Netflix account as a form of a study break or a nice incentive for finishing your work on time. Really you were innocently interested in watching one show that everyone was talking about and you would only use it when you had “free time”. Yet slowly over time it began to control your schedule. When could you fit in time to watch Season 3, Episode 11 of Gossip Girl? And when that new movie was released on Netflix you just had to see it. Just one hour, you told yourself, settling into bed after a day of classes. And next thing you know you’ve finished in the season and it is 6 0’clock PM. Beware: Netflix is a trap, and it will find you.
4. You truly find your best friendsThis is not a lie, and it becomes one of the most cherished moments of your first year. Whether he or she is your roommate, sorority sister or fraternity brother, someone you met in class, or a random meeting in the library, you meet the people you know will be there for the rest of your life. You can picture them in your wedding, planning for the future of trips you’ll take and places you’ll live close by so your kids can get married. They become the people you fall back on when life gets tough, and the people you laugh with when there is joy to be had. As sappy as it sounds, these people whether they are from another state or another country, start to embody who you are. The play the smallest yet most significant part in your growth of this first year on your own. They are your support system, your bridesmaids, fellow struggling, completely confused students, sharing a friendship you cannot imagine losing.
5. Sleep is not a thingYou might want to toss that “7 hours a night” idea out the window. No one told you that sleep would become a luxury. In line with the inevitable long hours spent pouring over your exam study guide, a full night of good sleep becomes rare. Instead, you find pockets of random time in your daily schedule to throw in a nap, grabbing even forty-minutes in between classes. 24 hours in the day is just simply not enough time to study, go to class, stay active, and sleep…petition to add some hours to the day? Wouldn’t that be nice…but hey, that’s why we adapted the coffee addiction.
6. You aren’t the smartest anymoreOn your application you had a 4.0, Student Body President, Beta Club VP, captain of varsity soccer, and perhaps you started your own non-profit. Well guess what, so did everybody else who entered your freshman class. Suddenly you are at school with people just like you. This can be exciting because you are at school with intellectual students who care about their studies. Don’t let yourself become lost in the sea of Valedictorians and club presidents because it is nice to have other people going through the same thing. Okay so you were used to being in charge of everything, but that time will come if you embrace your studies and activities head on and enjoy being apart of a student body who cares about academics just as much as you do.
7. Reading, it actually mattersI know, we all heard it from the upperclassmen and our parents and friends already in college: “read for class”. Well, they weren’t kidding. If you don’t read, you really have no idea what is going on in lecture or recitation. You will end up lost, confused, and flustered come exam time if you haven’t covered the material provided for class. Okay so no one really wants to read fifty pages twice a week, but I guarantee you it pays off when you can answer a question in class and know exactly what to say in your essays. Bottom line: do the reading, you’ll thank yourself in the future.
8. Your bank account is nonexistentSay goodbye to relying on your parents tossing you cash as you run out the door. Perhaps you were used to parental financial support at your disposal before you came to college. What a nice time that was! But that is an end of a wonderful era, and the beginning of adulthood. We can reflect fondly on the days of endless shopping trips and nights out to eat with our friends. Now, you’re on a budget. The monthly allowance Mom and Dad send you doesn’t quite cut the easy going lifestyle you were used to. The days of a full tank of gas magically appearing in your car are gone, and forget just running over to the mall to buy new clothes. It’s time to budget for necessities like gas and books and that occasional binge order of pizza because you just cannot handle dining hall food any longer. Remember how we were all so excited to grow up? Apparently that comes with our own (empty) bank accounts.
9. You are not perfectYou are going to mess up. Whether that be failing a test or just having a rough night, you are human and are going to naturally make mistakes. Thankfully, it is not the end of the world. There is always tomorrow to do better! Many more tests to come and many more weekends to make up for lost time. Chances of getting a 4.0 your first year are minimal, but that doesn’t make you any less of a student or person. Do not let your mistakes define you- learn from them and grow! College is about becoming yourself, so take those mistakes and let them shape you.
10. You only get to do this onceTruthfully, the expectations for your first year are hard to define. You can imagine it to the best of your ability, but the only way to learn what it is all about is to experience it firsthand. And when you’re realizing you are not the top of your class anymore, pulling out a paper the night before it is due, and just trying to figure out what in the world is going on, stop and look around you because everyone else is going through the same exact process. College is an adjustment period. There are ups and downs, tears and laughs, good grades and bad grades, but in the end everyone is in this thing called college together. Everyone is so eager to jump right in, but take your time figuring out being an “adult” as you grow your first year. There is fun to be had, exams to get ready for, so soak it all in when you get the chance because you only get to be a freshman once (I hope)!