I have been in college for 92 days. Never mind the fact that I just had to stop and count actual individual days instead of just adding the number of days in each month since I got here. That is irrelevant. What is relevant is that in the 92 days that I have been living in the absolutely lovely mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona and going to NAU (GO JACKS), I have learned a number of things.
This isn't what the uni's sign looks like right now. But it will be soon!
Below, I will provide you a comprehensive list of important things to know about going to college.
- If you do not own good headphones, BUY SOME. Sometimes it's nice to just plug in to some mindless music and avoid responsibility for a few hours.
- Promising yourself that you will do your homework later is not a good idea. You think you're feeling unmotivated now? You just wait until 3 hours later when you've woken up from a nap in the one patch of sunlight on the floor in your room. THEN you will feel what real lack of motivation is.
- Keeping your room clean is a whole lot easier to do when you're living with someone who doesn't know that nearly every day at home your mom would say to you "You live like a homeless person, PLEASE clean your room."
- Living in a 12x19 box isn't going to be the best thing that's ever happened to you, especially if you have incredibly loud, inconsiderate neighbors like we do. THANKS GUYS
This is our room at night. It's kinda nice with the Christmas lights. Also S/O to sleeping Lindsey in her bed because she has lab at 7am tomorrow. Poor girl.
- Your roommate is going to be the person who listens to you when you cry about the silliest, most trivial things. Be nice to her. She will quickly learn all of your secrets.
- Having a random roommate just might be the best thing that could have happened to you. I know that this is not always the case, but my roommate and I have become close friends and living together has becomes more of a blessing and less of a chore every day.
- Money gets spent quickly. Only buy the things that you NEED and give yourself a monthly fun budget. Don't be me and end up with $6.50 in your bank account halfway through the semester.
- Long distance friendships are hard. But it's true that distance makes the heart grow fonder.I have grown to love my best friend even more than I did before we both left for college, and I didn't think that that was possible. The important thing is that you communicate your needs to one another and understand that you both need to lead your own lives and talk when you both have time. Truly great friendships don't just fall apart because you're not texting 24/7.
Heaven knows I wouldn't survive without this girl.
- GO TO YOUR CLASSES. Like really. Just because attendance doesn't count for points doesn't mean you shouldn't go.
- Be kind to everyone. Just like in the rest of life, everyone is going through crap. You never know what is going on in the life of the girl who just pushed you out of the way to get on the bus. Assume the best of people and that is what you will usually find.
- There's nothing like my mother's cooking. University food gets real old real fast.
Above all else, I have learned that it is so so important to put yourself first. Over the past few weeks especially, a very special friend of mine has helped me to recognize the importance of helping myself before I help others. I have learned to love spending time with myself. I have learned that before I can do anything for anyone else, I have to make sure that I am taken care of.
Bottom line, college is an experience. And it's an experience that I think everyone should have.
Be nice to each other. We need more of that in the world.
