What They Didn't Tell You About College...

I wasn't ready for....

Losing friends- I know they always say it, but you always think that you and your friends are the closest in the world. That might be true. I still have a few friends from high school that I talk to everyday. But the people I considered my closest friends, aren't so close anymore. We might see eachother one night over Christmas break, and a few times over the summer, but they aren't the people you always hang out with anymore. And thats perfectly fine. High school is over and you went to college for a reason... to try new things and meet new people. Theres a saying that you meed your bridesmaids in college. I 100% stand by that statement. They might not all be new people, but those are the times you find who your true friends really are. 

The guys- In high school I didn't date much. Not cause I couldn't get anyone, but cause I just wasn't interested. Looking back I personally am very glad I did that. But when I came to college it was a completely different ball game. It's a whole new playing field, and youre in a completely different league. Guys are everywhere, and there are so many opportunities to meet new guys. I won't lie I got a little carried away. I realized my potential and the "power" that I carried with them, and I used it to my advantage. There are some things a girl needs to experience. Spending way too much time and energy on the wrong guy is one of those experiences. I am convinced that my experience really helped too build me. There will be crummy guys....a LOT of crummy guys. You have to weed through them and stay strong and true to yourself. Don't listen to all the BS that they can dish out to you, no matter how "unofficially exclusive" you think you are at the moment. I'm not saying that no one is worth trusting, I'm just saying make sure you weed through the bad to get to the good. And there are good ones out there. A lot. And they come around at exactly the right time (and right when you have stopped looking, in my experience).

You gain the freshman 15- even if you have never struggled with your weight before, it does eventualy catch up to you. It's a part of growing up, it's fact of life. It could be a change of not eating home made food that mom makes every night. It could be all the beer you consume. It could be lack of proper sleep and excersize. And it doesn't always come freshman year. A lot of people don't get it till sophmore year or later. 

Rules

Do NOT room with your BFF. Let me repeat... Do. NOT. Room. With. Bestie. Hell yeah it sounds like a blast...having your day one there with you every night, whenever you're scared or you are having problems. Sleepovers every night. She's the bestie, what can go wrong? Everything. Absolutely everything. You find out she is a slob and leaves her dirty dishes everywhere for you to clean up. Or she leaves her dirty underwear laying right in the doorway. Or maybe you start noticing how negative and demanding she really is...No matter what it is, there is going to be something(s) that you will find that will drive you mad. And she will find something wrong with you too. And then you start being irritable towards one another and then you're fighting all the time...then she moves out and you never speak again. Life. 

Studying doesn't mean sitting in the library for 8 hours every day. Studying is supposed to be done for about an hour or two everyday. Do NOT wait till the night before a final to try and cram a semester worth of information into your dead, sleep deprived, overriden brain. Do it through the semester. You are also more likely to actually learn the information that way. 

Use the library. That being said, the library can be your best friend. I don't know what it is about that place, but it's like a portal that gets you through your homework so much quicker than if you do it in your room. There are very little distractions and everyone around you is doing the same thing...you dont have a roommate across the room eating chips while watching Netflix (that you somehow end up watching too..how does that always happen!?).

Join as many things as possible. There are so many events that happen on campus. It can be a sporting event, a greek life event, or a club event that is put on through the school. Whatever it is, go! This is the best way to meet people and (sometimes) get free school shirts or pizza. Go to parties, even if they aren't "your scene." You never know, you might like the atmosphere. 

Befriend as many people as possible.  Talk to everyone that sits around you in your classes. Talk to the girl brushing her teeth at the sink beside you in the bathrooms. Get to know your RA. You never know who has connections or information that you can use later. 

This isn't high school. No one gives two shits if you were prom queen or if you beat the track record for your division, or if you were in chorus your freshman year of high school. That was then, with those people. In college, you can be you and no one thinks twice about it. Everyone is basically friends with all types of people. You can go to class dressed in costume one random day, and everyone on campus talks about how cool you are. Grow up and get over yourself. Trust me, you will have more fun that way. 

Don't wear high school attire. Unless you are lounging around your dorm room, there is no need to wear your "Seniors 2011" t-shirt around. It just highlights the fact that you are a freshman. Not that that is exactly a bad thing, but it's not a good thing either.