Freshman year of college: a pivotal time in a young adult’s life that, for many, serves as a transition from childhood and adolescence into adulthood. But, like most times in life, it comes chock full of the good, the bad and the brutally humbling. Most people who go through their freshman year of college have their humbling experiences, but some are much more universal than others.
Spending all of your money in the first month
Yes, you worked throughout high school to save up money for college. Yes, you got a lot of money from family and friends after graduation. No, it will not last you throughout the year. It will not even last you through the first month.
Scheduling an 8 a.m. class
Sure, your classes started at 8 a.m. in high school, if not earlier. However, it’s not the same, and you’re going to be dragging yourself out of bed for it every time, if you even make it to that class. After all, you won’t have your parents to make you wake up for school.
Not using an umbrella because you “won’t need it”
Your classes are more than likely at least a ten-minute walk from your dorm. It’s going to suck when you inevitably think the rain “isn’t that bad” and end up sitting in class completely drenched with puddles forming in your shoes.
Realizing just how much you actually have to study
You might have been able to just breeze by with some light studying in high school. I know freshmen reading this are thinking, “No, I studied really hard.” Maybe you did. It doesn’t change the fact that college is a lot harder than high school, and you’ve got to step up your game. No matter how hard you work, college academics are overwhelming, and there is a really good chance your GPA for your first semester might not be pretty.
Your welcome week friend group
Many freshmen make friends their first year during welcome week. Some of them will probably last! However, your 15-person friend group made up solely of people from your dorm will more than likely not survive, at least for your entire time at college.
Going out, as a whole
The first time a freshman “goes out” on the weekend is a humbling experience. Whether it’s not knowing how to put together an outfit (either wearing the black top and blue jeans uniform or something that will get destroyed by a frat house), making the walk back to the dorm in the cold while covered in various drinks, or getting separated from your friend group within the first five minutes, the first time going out is definitely a time.
The sheer amount of walking for EVERYTHING
Have a class? Walk. Have to do laundry? Walk. Need to eat? Walk. I can promise you that unless you did something like cross country in high school, or are a frequent hiker, your legs are more than likely going to be hurting after a few days of constant uphill walking. And then when it’s combined with the heatwave that strikes at the beginning of the year every time without fail, it’s going to hurt.
