10 Things People Actually Never Tell You Before You Start College

10 Things People Actually Never Tell You Before You Start College

1) You’re going to get sick. All the time.

From living in such a small space with another person, to communal bathrooms, to touching stair railings and bus seats and desks that are no doubt infested with germs from the hundreds of other students that have touched those things before you, no one is safe! Emergen-C needs to become your best friend. Stock up.

2) People are going to make themselves comfortable on your bed, whether you invite them to sit there or not.

Beware: because of limited seating space in a small dorm room, a bed seems like a great place to sit for the common intruder.  Lofting your bed may initially seem daunting, and having to climb up a ladder to get into bed may not sound like the most comfortable option, but it may beat having random people put their shoes on your pillows.

3) Naps will become your best friend.

Not only are you probably sleep deprived due to late nights partyi- um, studying, but walking around and around campus gets exhausting. When you have one class at 3:00 on one end of campus, and another at 4:00 on the other end, both your body and your mind are exhausted by the time you get back to your dorm to get in a power nap. Sometimes, even 10 minutes of sleeping can be a blessing. (But, if you don’t have time to nap, espresso will never betray you.)

4) You are going to be spending a lot of time in the library.

Quiet places are hard to find on campus, and it can be hard to study in your dorm. The library is quiet, and there is something about having people studying all around that is motivating. Remember bring plenty of snacks and coffee with you, because chances are you’re going to be there indefinitely. 

5) You will really start to appreciate the itty bitty things.

Things like having to wear shoes every time you shower and not being able to sleep naked. (Did I say that out loud?)

6) You actually can get in trouble for underage drinking.

Contrary to popular belief, (usually a belief created by TV and Movies), there can be repercussions for underage drinking. Whether you are drinking in the dorms and your 

RA catches you, somewhere on campus and campus police catch you, or off campus and city police catch you, Alcohol Violations and Minor in Possessions, (MIPs), are very real, and very prevalent. Be smart.

7) You aren’t going to find your best friends right away.

People often speak of their college friends being the best friends they’ve ever had. What they fail to mention, however, is that it can take a while to find your niche and meet the people that you really connect to. Hang in there, though, it’ll happen.

8) You are going to eat your meals at really strange times.

Between complying with dining hall hours, class schedules, social schedules, studying, sleeping, and everything in between, you eat when you can. This may mean your first meal of the day is at 3:30PM, or your last meal of the day is at 3:30PM. Shout out to cereal and fruit snacks. 

9) You will start calling your dorm “home”.

Before long, you will start referring to your dorm as your “home”. After a long day of classes and meetings and just traipsing around campus, you will be aching to get back to the one spot that is completely yours - somewhere you can shut the door and take off your pants and just be. The first time you say it, you’ll even surprise yourself a bit - when you say to your friend: “I’m going home” and you realize you mean your dorm room.

10) But, there is no place like home home.

Okay, chances are you’ve heard this one before. But it’s true. Your own bed, your mom’s cooking, annoying siblings, childhood friends, and just not having to be “on” all the time. You’ll come to realize that all of that is sacred. Plus, you get to come back and show off how grown up and educated (and stuff) you are. Going off to college is incredible, but nothing beats coming back home again.