15 Things I Learned My First Year at College
1. Feeding myself is hard. I oftentimes was so busy or so tired that I forgot to eat. It would sometimes be 5:00 and I still hadn’t eaten anything. I did not eat as much as I should have this year, and it has immensely affected my energy levels.
2. Home-sickness is REAL. I never thought that I would be struggling to get through my day simply because of my geographical location. I was not prepared for the amount of pain I would feel from being apart from my family, my boyfriend, my pets, my hometown, and my job.
3. Lofted beds are only good in theory. Sure, it was nice having the extra space for my desk and a cozy chair, but there was nothing worse than crawling into bed only to realize that I had forgotten to lock the door.
4. Making friends is not as easy as it used to be. I realize now that it is just important to put yourself out there and talk to people. It sucks, and sometimes it is hard, but most people are willing to talk or study or hang out.
5. To-do lists can only be so long. I used to pack my to-do lists so full that I could not complete them all in a given day. I would become excessively stressed noticing all the items that I still had on the list and that I needed to move to the next day. I realized the best thing for me was to create weekly to-do lists. I gave each day in the week 2-3 assignments to work on (as to not get overwhelmed). For bigger projects or papers, I would allow for multiple days.
6. Scheduling makes things easier. I even find it relaxing to sit down and plan my day and week.
7. No one cares about appearances. Makeup or no makeup. Dress pants or sweatpants. Color or monochromatic. Honestly, no one cares, and no one is judging. It made getting ready in the morning a lot less stressful.
8. Missing class in college is worse than missing class in high school. I used to think that college would be so much better because I could choose when I wanted to go to class. I was wrong. Most of my classes took attendance or had in-class assignments.
9. I can barely get through the day without a nap. I don’t know how I managed to wake up before 7am every morning, go to eight straight classes, go to theatre rehearsal, go to work, and then come home late at night to do my homework. In college, I have a maximum of two classes a day, and I am exhausted! I need these naps.
10. Plans and passions change. I thought that I was 100% going to be a journalist. I ended up changing my major to Elementary Education.
11. To enjoy a frat party, you either have to be drunk or single. I was neither.
12. It is important to leave the dorm. I spent way too many days locked up in my room. I wish I would have gone for more walks, spent more time exploring campus, and studied in a coffee shop instead.
13. Long distance is hard. The right person will make it easier, but it’s still hard not seeing the person you love for more than a month.
14. Studying is hard. Different teachers want you to know different things for the tests. Some take questions straight from the text, some only use what was discussed in lecture, and some appear to be doing neither. The first exam of any class will always be difficult to adequately study for.
15. The things that mattered to me became clear. It wasn’t until I was on my own that I realized what I truly cared about. I discovered my true friends, reestablished my goals, and understood myself more clearly.
