Hey there fresh meat:
Flashback to one year ago. At this time last year, you enjoyed prom, graduation, and other senior festivities with your best friends glued to your side. However, this period in your life was about to be behind you in an instant.
Late in August you packed up your things, said your goodbyes to your best friends and family, and set off on the road to college. The countdown was finally over. Your new beginning was about to begin.
Adios to your public paid education and welcome to college life (where you have to actually buy scantrons).
This was probably one of the most exciting, bittersweet, and nerve wracking experiences in your life. Suddenly, you would be fending for yourself and gaining more independence than you can imagine.
Now that you are wrapping up your first year, you learned that college was not exactly what it was portrayed to be like in the movies. However, the ups and downs of your freshman year were something that you would not trade for the world. In the process, you learned about the freedom of being away from home, your studies, and most importantly yourself.
College is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Your experience was different than your best friend’s experience, whose experience was different than yours. However, each one of us embarked on our own adventure, and probably felt a lot of similar feelings.
Personally, my freshman year of college taught me that freshman 15 is seriously a real thing. You cannot expect to indulge on grilled cheese sandwiches every single night and stay in tip top shape. You learned that meals in the café are nothing compared to a nice home cooked meal. That lasagna in the dining hall does not even compare to the lasagna your family had at dinner every month.
Homesickness is also very real. While you were excited for the freedom you would encounter, sometimes you just missed home. Let’s face it. You missed the sweet licks of your pet and the nagging of your parents. You probably took your shower at home for granted because at school, the water pressure is not always on point. The same thing goes for your bed. You can have all the mattress toppers in the world, but does it really compare to your bed at home? Not at all.
