Man, I remember the day when my parents and I packed up the truck filled to the brim with all of my college essentials and drove the highway to my first college dorm/apartment. I was excited to be leaving the nest, but also super nervous about meeting my three random roommates. Since I’m an only child and I’m the youngest in my family, I didn’t really have anyone to talk to you about the high school to college transition. Now that I’m graduated and almost done with my pharmacy school program, I can now reflect on my time as a freshmen and sophomore and the things that I wish somebody had told me before I started my journey.
Outfit: Vest | Crop Top | Jeans | Belt
Your first set of roommates won’t be your college best friends
This was a hard one for me to realize, but once I did, I had the best time ever in college. I had put so much pressure and had such high standards for people that I didn’t even know that it ruined the experience for me. When I came into college, I got an apartment style dorm where each person had their own room, so I ended up having three random roommates my first year in college.
The people that you live with your freshmen year will not be your lifelong friends. They are just a stepping stone or starting place for you to meet other people that will be your best friend. Most of my friends today are ones that I met in my classes or in organizations that I was involved in. We either had similar majors or similar goals that I connected with each of them that have lasted my entire time in college.
The “broke” college student lifestyle really isn’t a thing
Have you heard someone say that they were broke, but then they just placed an order for new clothes or spent $100 at the bars downtown? Yea, the “broke” college lifestyle really isn’t a thing and I had no idea that it wasn’t true until now. A lot of college students either work a part-time job, get money from their parents, or utilize their refund check from their student loans so they’re not actually broke. They just use their money for what they want and make excuses for the unimportant tasks.
The Freshmen 15 or the Sophomore 20 is a real thing
While the “broke” college student lifestyle isn’t a real thing for most people, the Freshmen 15 or Sophomore 20 can really sneak up on you in a heartbeat. I used to be on the cross-country and soccer teams in high school, so I was always pretty active and athletic, but now that I got into college…not so much. When you’re in college, you just don’t have as much free time as you used to, and your life reduces to a sedentary lifestyle. Beat this trend by staying active and healthy once you leave your parent’s house by creating new habits that are easy to maintain when you’re stressed out with schoolwork. If you’re interested in learning more ways to get active in college, I wrote a blog post with 7 easy ways to stay active in college that helped me a whole lot during my time in college.
Maintaining friendships and relationships require a lot more work than it did in high school
Remember the days when you had friends solely due to the fact that you saw them every day in Home Room? Yea, those days are long over now! Once you get to college, it takes time, energy, and effort to maintain healthy relationships. This is because you and your friends now have opposite schedules and might not even have a class together. Now you have to plan out girl trips, movie nights, or weekend outings to fit everyone’s schedule and budget.
You waste a lot of money by buying brand-new textbooks
I spent over $600 my first semester of my freshmen year of college and never again did I buy any unnecessary books for classes. The only ones I’ve bought since then were the lab manuals for my lab classes that were workbooks that we used for class, otherwise nope not for me! The reason why I stopped buy books was because most of my classes never used the book and if we did, it was maybe 5 pages from Chapter 34 for one class. My college library had every “mandatory” textbook as a rental to students so instead of buying books, I loaned them from the library for FREE! Yep, save those coins sis or bro!
Your meals become weird and non-wholesome dinners
Do I hear popcorn and chocolate for dinner? Yep, I had no idea that some nights I just wouldn’t want to cook and I was too tired of eating campus food to truly care what I ate for dinner. Or sometimes I just hadn’t made it to the grocery store yet so that was all I had in my kitchen. College students can run a full day of activities on some really odd meals without any regret in the world! 😂
If you’re just starting out with cooking, I highly recommend buying a crockpot. You can dump all of your ingredients in, let it cook for a few hours, and viola! You have a home cooked meal in a few hours that’s simple and delicious. This one is my favorite, and I’ve had mine for years!
Even if you thought you weren’t going to party in college, you will.
Don’t tell my parents, but I was a wild child my freshmen year in college and was always at somebody’s party living my best life. But when I used to go out, I was always responsible and had most of my homework/studying done beforehand so I was never letting my “partying” lifestyle get in the way of my studies. You may think that you won’t go out in college, but you will and it’s totally normal for college students to want to live a little. Plus you make the best of friends going out and getting out of the comforts of your dorm room.
Nobody cares what you wear to class or if you wear it more than once.
The two weeks of college classes is always pretty funny because people wear the cutest outfits the first week and then bum clothes the next. Honestly most people could care less about what you wear to class or if you’re an outfit repeater, as long as you don’t smell something terrible. Be comfortable and confident in whatever you wear. One time during my freshmen year, I was so sick during finals week that I came in my pajamas to take the final because I felt so terrible to change into something else. It was a rough week man!
Your professors aren’t out to get you and want you to pass.
During my time in college, I’ve come to realize that most of your professors really do care about your education and they are a great resource to utilize during your time in college. Whether you need help with learning the material or getting a recommendation letter for pharmacy school, ask your professor for guidance. They are regular people, just like you, with a few more degrees and years of experience so utilize their knowledge that they’ve collected over the years. One of my math teachers in college was actually one of my recommendation letters for pharmacy school! I’ve always had a hard time with math, but luckily, I had an amazing teacher that was willing to spend a little extra time with me every week so that I could learn. I tell you that to not be scared of asking your professor for help or clarification because they do want you to pass and move forward with your academic career.
Photos by Brailey Johnson Photography
Your dorm room is actually super tiny and barely fits anything.
You really don’t realize how much stuff that you have until you try to fit it all in a dorm room the size of a shoebox. I’m not exaggerating dorm rooms are tiny! Before packing up your entire life, sit down and make a need, want, and maybe packing list of things that you’ll think that you’ll actually use in college. Since my college campus was only 30 minutes from my home, I was able to swap clothes regularly depending on the season and weather. So, I would keep my summer/fall clothes for a few months, and then exchange those clothes for my winter wardrobe when it got colder outside. I do have a packing list that are perfect for maximizing your space in a college dorm room that you can get down below.
If you are going to college soon, what are you the most worried about and why? Or if you are currently in college or just graduated college, what do you wish you would’ve known before starting college? Let’s have a chat in the comments below!
You may also like: 10 Tips to Building the Perfect Class Schedule in College, 5 Creative Ways for College Students to Make Money, and 7 Ways to Stay Fit & Healthy in College
