Image: galleryhip.com
Today I complete the first week of my sophomore year. Yes, it was STRESSFUL. Do I miss the freshman year of my college? To be honest, I have bittersweet memories attached to the last year but I have grown a bit wiser and mature. Here are a few things I learned and some tips for freshers:
1. No one cares who you were in school:Maybe you would have been the topper of your school or perhaps the queen bee but no one really cares about it except you. You're now a blank canvas and have the full control on how to paint the picture.
2. You're going to lose your old friends:
Not all of your friends from school is going to enroll in the same college as yours and while you promised to stay in touch with them irrespective of the distance, you will lose touch and ultimately lose them. People come and people go and new people would arrive in your life and you would have someone to let all your secrets out at 3 am or just watching the stars shine up in the sky while contemplating life.
3. The friends you make in the beginning might not last till the end:
You're going to meet a bunch of cool people in your first semester and this does not guarantee you that you're still going to talk to them in the semesters to come. The college campus is huge and students are much more diverse and maintaining your social life can get tough.
4. You need different kind of friends:
I have my batch friends, photography enthusiasts friends, literature lover friends, 4 am friends, roommate friends, class and/or hostel acquaintances and I have realized that you need all of them to survive. Everyone has different priorities and schedules and having a large network of diverse people to connect with can be helpful. Psttt.. sometimes even overwhelming.
5. Not everyone will like you and that is okay:
You just CANNOT please everybody. There would be times when you will offend someone by refusing an invitation but only you know how tired you get by the end of the week. There would be girls who would envy you and guys who would backbite about you just because you did turned down his romantic proposal. It's okay. At the end of the day, the one person whom you should really like is yourself. The real friendships would find their way into your life despite all the obstacles.
6. You have to learn to do your chores on your own:
Your dad is not here to wake you up early for your classes nor your mom is here who is going to take care of you while you're sick. No one will bother to care about how well you're doing or simply if you're fine or not. So stop being a princess and take responsibility of your own life.
7. Study hard and go to classes:
I have missed so many classes in the first year due to my damn too many extra circular activities. While it is good to get some professional and life experiences, not working smart enough can really affect your grades. I met so many people, got involved in so many activities that I made studying my last priority and I suffered. So involve in such things only if you can juggle your social life, work, studies and your peace of mind all at the same time.
8. You will feel homesick and lost:
Living miles away from home and out of your comfort zone where there is no one to guide you, at some point of time you will feel lost and homesick. You will miss the delicious meal cooked by your mom and bear hugs from dad and also wet kisses from your dog and it is okay. You're not alone. Everyone goes through this. Call your parents, let them know how grateful you're to have them, take a break and get back to action.
9. You will wait for weekends but not for partying:
College life seems so interesting and exciting on the big screen with parties every weekend, hooking up with some random guy on the street but welcome to real life baby. I wait for weekends because I get so exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally by the end of the week that I need a break. Most of my Sundays are spent by waking up at noon, giving myself some me time, binge eat pizzas and chocolates and reflect on the week gone by.
10. Your body and mind health is so important:
Nothing can be at peace if you aren't at peace with yourself. Start taking care of yourself. Have meals on time. Don't drink caffeine at the night of an exam. Don't pull all nighters. Just take care of yourself and do everything in your power to keep yourself happy.
The transition from high school to college is huge. You realize that the world is a cruel place to be in and humans are the worst enemies of humans. Once you step out in the real world, challenges doesn't stop coming in but it would make you better each day. The speed of your maturity will increase at a faster rate and looking back you will be a different person that what you were when you first entered college.
Gear up, these days will pass sooner than you think. one year down. Three more to go. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!
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