Freshman Year of College

Tomorrow starts the beginning of exam week, which means my freshman year of college will be coming to a close and I can honestly say I’m both happy and sad. This year has come with so many challenges but has also included some good times.

This year I’ve learned quite a few things about college as a whole as well as learning a few things about myself. All of these are from my own experience.

1. College isn’t for everyone.

This is probably the first thing I learned while being here. If the kid next to you barely shows up and doesn’t seem to care, it’s probably because they don’t. College isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. This is the time to find what you want to do, and make some mistakes along the way. And sometimes it’s not that people don’t care, but more so that they just aren’t interested in what they’re there for. And honestly, if you're not interested in, or don't care for, what you're doing then you're not going to do it well either. It’s better to not go to a four-year school if you’re completely unsure of what you want. Instead, go to a community college, and figure it out, and then transfer. No one is going to judge you for that.

2. No one likes the drunken fool.

Yeah, we may laugh at you, because how can you not laugh when you see a drunk guy run through the fountain in the middle of campus? That doesn’t mean anyone respects you though. And seeing you trip over your own feet as you walk down the hallway isn’t cute, especially when you don’t make it to the bathroom, and just throw up on the hall floor instead. You’re not “cool” because you party every night of the week, and no one is going to be impressed with how much alcohol you can handle before getting rushed to the hospital to have your stomach pumped. You can’t complain about people disrespecting you when you don’t even show respect towards yourself.

3. What you wear doesn’t matter.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Sure every now and then dressing cute is fun, but honestly, it’s so much easier to throw on your boyfriend's t-shirt with some leggings, and call it a day. And no one actually cares if you don’t put effort into what you’re wearing. There are people who literally have worn bathing suit tops with jean shorts to class, and no one says anything to them... or at least not to their face.

4. Church isn’t always a place.

Throughout my life, I’ve always thought that church was the place you go to worship, and have long talks about God, but that isn’t always the case. The most memorable and emotional times I’ve had worshiping, and talking about God have been sitting in dorm room floors, and singing at the top of your lungs driving down backroads. You can have church anywhere, because personally, I believe it’s more of a feeling than a place.

5. Friends will disappoint you.

This is a big one. Everyone says High School is where you find out who your true friends are, which I agree with, but to an extent. College is an even bigger test of that, as well as a test of who actually will put in an effort to stay friends especially if you’re three plus hours away, and see them once every three months. More than anything, supposed “friends” will stab you in the back, and just straight up disappoint you, but with that comes new friends who understand the pain, and help you heal from it. You will also find that many new friends you meet will have had similar, or virtually the same, experiences as you, meaning you can vent to one another, and help each other heal.