You’re super prepared: you have your roommate assignment, your mailbox key, your brand new comforter ready to grace your new twin-extra-long sheets, and somehow, some things will inevitably happen. You could react by transferring out of shame…or, you could expect the unexpected, and gracefully undergo these freshman rights of passage.
1. You Will Slip in the Dining Hall.
Why? Because it rains in Baltimore approximately all the time, and eventually, snow will hit. If you completely eat it while carrying your plates of pink cake from the FFC, laugh it off and stand back up. Believe me, everyone’s seen worse (and that’s coming from someone that slipped on stray pulp from the orange juice machine).
2. You’ll find someone you think is cute…and it won’t work out.
To clarify, this may be someone you see passing by you that’s cuter than anyone from home, and suddenly you see the names of your future children floating above his head like little love halos…and then you’ll never see him again. Turns out he’ll be someone’s little brother that’s helping his sibling move in. Oops.
3. You will meet an overwhelming amount of new people…
And then pretend you never met about ¾ of them and reintroduce yourself awkwardly at a party because it’s way to weird to bring up how you met during Play Fair even though you totally did, because who talks about Play Fair at a frat party, am I talking too much, do I seem nervous?
4. You will go to a frat party and hate it.
You may not hate every one that you attend; you might love most of the parties that you do end up at! However, there will definitely be at least one night where you realize that being pressed against a sticky wall in a basement that is far too humid is not actually as glorious as you’d imagined. And that’s okay!
5. You will fail an exam.
And live to tell the tale! More than that, you will thrive in the rest of your time at school. So don’t freak out too much when you see those red marks on your Scantron. It happens. In the end, you won’t have failed at all. This is how you learn which study habits work for you!
6. You will be absolutely exhausted.
…And you probably won’t care because it will be the result of an all-night conversation with your dorm neighbors. And that, kids, is how you will discover the magic of coffee.
7. You will become hyperaware that you are living without any parents to help you out.
One of the most satisfying feelings is that of realizing just how independent you can be. There will be times at which you wish your parents would just fill out all the forms for you, or call your professor and ask them to change your grade while you hide in a fort you made out of blankets, but you will pull through and do it. You might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish on your own.
8. You will wake up late and miss class or have to walk in late in front of everyone.
Yeah this happens to everyone—and that’s exactly why you shouldn’t be too embarrassed when it happens. Professors understand, even some of my professors show up late to class. We all understand each other. As long as you don’t make a habit of it, nothing will be so bad that it can’t be fixed with a sincere, “I completely overslept, I’m so sorry. Here’s a cookie.”
9. You will spend too much money.
Takeout and UniMini become exceptionally appealing once the clock strikes midnight. Several orders of mozzarella sticks later, your wallet will be a lot lighter and you’ll wonder where it all went. The answer will be…your butt. Hey there, freshman fifteen.
10. You’ll end up at some random party, restaurant or club you never expected to go to…
And have one of the most memorable experiences of college. Don’t resist those unplanned adventures. It’s easy to fall into a routine, but those endeavors will remind you that you’re not at school just to form new habits.