College n' me

ive seen a lot of posts sorta everywhere of folks starting college and being unsure what to expect, so thought id share some stories and my personal experiences with it! this is pretty lengthy so you can just skim through lol

im technically in my third year, though with my untreated audhd i struggled with going to classes and my grades meant i have to take a semester off to save money to go back, and im already several credit hours behind so i doubt ill be able to finish in the usual 4 years :P

i started off at a college two hours south of my hometown and then transferred to one two hours NORTH of my hometown lol. the first college was significantly smaller, riiiight on the state line and barely 4,000 people attending. i moved down there with my at-the-time best friend and lived on campus and away from home for the first time. 

living on campus was absolutely freeing. i could leave my apartment when i wanted to, i could go on walks or drives or sit and read somewhere on campus. i didnt make any new friends while i was there, but the area was so peaceful and beautiful that i still got something out of it. i felt like the school i was at wasn't right for me, as i couldn't get a degree in photography. i transferred to my current college not long after i moved back home for the summer that year. with my financial aid, i didnt owe much at all out of pocket (though i did have a couple loans).

my current college is MUCH bigger, one of the better known ones in my state. it's right smack dab in the middle of a busy-ish city, one that's notorious for crime. in my experience, this wasn't an issue. i had to walk sort of into downtown to get to one of my classes, but i never personally had any issues nor was i friends with anyone that did. my advice to anyone who's moving/ has moved to a city for college and isn't sure how to handle it is: either stay on campus at night, or don't go alone. college campuses are usually kept very safe, especially if the area around isn't so great, but id still pay a little mind to your surroundings. don't let the crime rates in your area scare you! 

during my first week i went to a couple different orientation events, which i HIGHLY recommend you do. even if you're starting college with your high school friends, you now have the opportunity to make friends from a MUCH larger population pool, so take advantage! it can be scary to introduce yourself to people, but i genuinely don't know where i'd be without the friends i made in college by going to orientation events. even if the event itself doesn't sound like it'll appeal to you, still go and check it out for maybe 15 minutes just to give it a shot. 

some points of advice for college (in my opinion) would probably be:

1. Don't eat out too much. The occasional fast food is fine, but I don't recommend Doordash or any equivalent apps. Your campus likely has some sort of meal/dining plan, and if it does, take advantage of it as much as you possibly can.

2. Don't go to parties alone! This is both for your safety and comfort. Don't drink anything you didn't pour yourself, don't leave your stuff unattended, don't leave the party without letting a friend know where you're going and with who, and DO NOT do whippets. (ive been seeing a company selling them. they can very very easily give you permanent brain damage and dissolve your spine. if you wanna get high, smoke some weed like the rest of us)

3. DON'T. DO. WHIPPETS.

4. Don't get books from your campus bookstore unless absolutely necessary. There are dozens of websites where you can find your textbooks for free or very cheap. You'll hear this one a lot but seriously books are like $150 each sometimes and you should not let them rob you like that. 

5. Don't put microwavable noodles (ramen, macaroni, etc.) in the microwave without water in the cup. I can't count how many fire drills are caused by a cup of macaroni setting off a smoke detector. The people in your hall will thank you.

6. Sometimes college isn't the right way to go. If you find that you don't want to pay off student loans for the next ten years, your degree feels useless, or you simply can't keep going to school for another fourish years, there's no shame in dropping out. plenty of people will say you NEED a degree to get a job, but nowadays that just isn't true. obviously this isn't a decision to make on a whim or because you're sick of a class, but dropping out isn't the end of the world.

7. Use ratemyprofessor whenever you can. It seriously helps a lot when it comes to scheduling classes. There's nothing worse than a professor you hate, teaching a class you have to take to graduate.

8. Don't make payments on a credit card unless you already have the money to pay it off right then and there. Better yet, just don't touch a credit card at all.

my big downfall when it came to my second year of college was my own personal struggles with mental illness at the time. i lived in a single dorm, meaning i was totally alone and accountable for myself. usually i wouldn't have struggled with this, but as it became harder and harder to get out of bed it did admittedly become an issue. i skipped several classes for weeks, then couldn't catch up when i did go back, and eventually i failed most of them. financial aid hinges a LOT on your grades, so if you're like me and you rely on that to get you through college, make it your priority to pass your classes.

overall college can DEFNINITELY feel scary, especially if you're going without any of your high school friends. there are plenty of things that could go wrong or not according to plan, but there's also a long list of reasons why college can be an absolutely fantastic thing. though im unsure if i'll continue my college career after this semester, i dont regret any of it at all. have plenty of fun, but do keep in mind your grades too. you're an adult now! the world (or your campus) is your oyster!