There are so many things that I worried about going into university, worrying is to be expected but I took it to a whole other level! Anyways, here's a list of a few things that I wish I had known prior to going to university:
1. You WILL Make Friends!
I was so worried that I wasn't going to be able to make friends in University. Granted, I did have a few friends going to the same university as me, but I was just so scared that I wasn't going to meet anyone! It doesn't matter what you're into, you WILL find someone that will either appreciate the same wacky things as you do, or someone who will at least tolerate them with a smile on their face. There are so many opportunities to make friends, don't stress it, it'll happen!
2. University Costs Way More Than You Think
Even with working a summer job every day all summer I still hadn't saved up enough money to help me that much for university. Remember to take into account things that you're going to need to buy, whether it's textbooks (those cost A LOT) bedding, decorations, or just personal items... It's inevitable you probably will be in debt by the end of the year.
3. You Don't Have To Drink To Have A Good Time
Personally, I'm not someone that drinks. It's not because my parents are super strict or anything, it's just a personal choice that I've decided to make. I found a great group of friends, some of them drink, and some of them don't - and that's fine! But know that if you want to stay sober, you can still have an awesome time and university experience. You don't have to drink at a party - fill your cup with pop or whatever you want to drink, no one will care. And if they do make a big deal about drinking, well then are they really the people that you want to be hanging out with anyway? If you're not a party person, you can have fun too! My friends and I get together almost every Friday night and watch a movie and bake something! Not only is it fun, but we're also not left battling a rough hangover in the morning.
4. Cafeteria Food Sucks
Yep, I said it, caf food sucks. I was so excited at the beginning of the year that I wouldn't have to cook food for myself... Now I wish I had that opportunity! It's okay for about the first week, until you realize that you might have had a few too many chicken fingers for lunch. The solution to this is to keep some snacks and food in your room for those times where you just don't feel like going to the cafeteria. Another solution is to make friends with people who have a kitchen! While the cafeteria food isn't all bad, just be prepared to have a few hit and misses when trying the caf food!
5. You Will Be Pulling All-Nighters
It seems so typical, like something you would see in a movie. Just picture it, a university student, surrounded by 4 cups of coffee trying to finish their 10 page paper that's due in 4 hours. It happens. Just usually the movies make our dorm rooms look WAY better. I know very few people who haven't had to pull that caffeine induced all nigher, and they're few and far in between. Just be prepared, but make sure this doesn't become a habit!
6. Residence Can Be Noisy
I learned this one the hard way in my first two weeks living in residence. Living in a dorm room can get noisy, there's always going to be those people who don't respect others. People will be playing music at all hours of the day, even at 3am when you're trying to get to sleep for your 9am class. People will be partying on the weekend, and possibly on your floor. If you're a light sleeper, I'd say that you should invest in some ear plugs if you think the noise is going to bug you. Other than that, there's not much that you can do. You can always be the person to tell the people to quiet down - but usually you just suck it up and make up the sleep the next day... or during the summer.
7. There Will Be An Abundance of Free Stuff
Universities and colleges know that one of the things that motivates us students almost 100% of the time is FREE STUFF. Within the first week of school I somehow ended up with about 7 free shirts and a lot of condoms. Those are some of the go to 'swag' that schools give out, but don't forget the free pens! If I had known that I was going to get so much free stuff, then I probably wouldn't have packed as many pajama shirts as I did... Those free shirts work great for sleeping in, or even just wearing when it's laundry day!
8. Don't Over Pack
You know all of those fancy dresses that you brought and thought you would wear? Well, that's probably going to be a huge waste of space. Leave your closet at home and just bring the most important stuff! For me, living 45 minutes away from home came in handy whenever I forgot something, but for those of you who aren't as lucky - learn to pack the basics! Bring the stuff that you know you're going to wear, maybe a nice thing or two, an interview outfit (you never know when you'll need to look professional) and the basics. It's likely that you're going to be going shopping while you're at school - so save the space in your closet and hit the mall with your new friends!
9. Buy Your Textbooks Used
If it's possible, try to get your books used! I ended up having to buy all of mine new because I waited to long, this ended up not being a very pleasant surprise when I got to the register at the bookstore and saw what I had to pay. My bank account was not happy.
10. Bathroom Can Be Scary, But You Will Get Used To It
My residence building is quite odd in the way that it's set up. Generally, there are 12 people per floor - 6 girls and 6 guys, and there are 4 floors to a stairwell. On each floor, there is a girls washroom and a guys washroom - seems simple, right? Well about a week in 'we' decided that we were going to make our bathrooms coed, since our floor was made up of 3 guys and 8 girls. It was kind of terrifying at the beginning, honestly. It did take a while to get used to the fact that you were never sure who was going to walk into the bathroom. By now, I'm used to it, and the people on my floor are really respectful about the whole thing - if someone is in one bathroom, we just go to the other! I'm not really sure how other universities do it, but from what i've heard usually a bunch of people share a bathroom! While it appears scary, you will get used to it and it'll just become second nature to you!
I hope these were useful to you! Feel free to share things that you wish that you had known before going to school in the comments! :)
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