College is for Cweers

It is no big secret that I did not have the most awesome college experience last semester. That isn't to say that it was horrible by any means. Just not great. My roommate was weird and had no desire to know me, I found it very difficult to meet anyone other than my Springfield friends and the workload was not great but different in a way that I found very stressful. This semester has been completely different. I have made some awesome friends, I have my own room and my classes are harder, but I don't mind.

I am writing this post for all the seniors I know who are just a semester away from their freshman year of college. Let me tell you right now to throw away all your expectations. You have NO idea what it is going to be like. Some people go off to college and immediately meet an awesome group of people that they hang out with for years. Some people go to college, join the greek system and find their home there. And some people, go to college and absolutely hate it. You'll notice the increasing number of people coming home and enrolling in Lincoln Land. Now, for some people that is the right decision, but for me, I'm glad I waited it out. It has made all the difference. So here are a couple of things I feel like would have helped me going into my freshman year:

1. Don't have expectations. Everyone's college experience is different, even if they go to the same school.

2. Don't give up. Think about how long it took you to find your best friends in senior year. You haven't hung out with exactly the same people since the beginning of freshman year of high school. College is the same way. Wait it out, it make take a month or a year, but you'll find people.

3. Join something random. Don't join something that is exactly the same at what you did in high school or something that your friend is joining or something you think will make you seem cooler. Join something random that catches your eye. Either it'll be awesome or it won't. Just do it.

4. Don't freak out about housing. Where you live does not determine your life. I was miserable when I got into an all-girls dorm, not I actually really like it.

5. Buy warm clothes. Holy shit so cold.

So yeah, there's obviously a lot more to it than that but these are just some realizations that have helped me be much happier this semester. College is weird and crazy and stressful and worth it. Just do it.

-Mada