Well, hello again! I blogged twice in a row! whoo!!!
So... Today's topic will be what I have learned since being in college...
1) Alone time is a rare and precious thing. Savor it.
2) Skype is crucial, as is regular pinterest conversations with your sister. It helps keep you sane.
3) Encourage care packages from your family. There is nothing more exciting than getting a package.
4) 7:45 a.m. classes are stupid. Don't even think about it. 9 is even pushing it.
5) Attack Winco whenever you can. Groceries are expensive, and Winco is cheap. Stock up!
6) Your roommates are your family. They can drive you crazy, but ultimately, they love you and hope the best for you.
7) NEVER say food is community. By saying cookies are community one time, people adapt the idea that they are forever community. Therefore, you will sleep thinking you will wake with 20 some cookies, and wake up with 2. GRRRRR.
8) Facebook becomes a habit if you are home all day. Same with Pinterest or Hulu.
9) Study somewhere away from home. You tend to conform to the situation you are in. Therefore, if you are in a library, you will probably study because that is what everyone else is doing. (I learned this in Psychology. yay for learning.)
10) Study groups... Are ineffective at 8 in the morning. All you will do is eat, talk, and watch youtube videos to wake you up.
11) Quote boards are awesome.
12) Don't date too quickly. Just have fun. Dating sucks.
13) Netflix is an amazing commodity. Treasure it.
14) More expensive housing is worth it. Seriously. There is nothing worse than waking up late and not being able to go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, pee, etc. because your roommate is showering and you only have one bathroom.
15) Odwalla is expensive, so don't get addicted to it. Basically, don't try the Strawberry Banana flavor. Because it is addicting.
16) Just because someone is older, it doesn't mean they are more mature.
17) Naps are amazing. Just make sure you set an alarm if you have to do something three or four hours later, you will sleep all of the time.
18) Stock up on Nyquil and Tylenol. It is IMPERATIVE.
19) People are really nice, if you give them the chance to be.
20) Partying is fun, but only for the first few times.
21) Don't talk about politics with your roommates. NOT a good idea, unless you already know you have similar views. Don't try to find that out, though.
22) When you go home for the weekend, don't tell your friends so you can hang out with them the whole time. You hang out with friends every day in school. Family time is more important, and you will regret not being with them more.
23) Keep in touch with your friends that you care about, and that care about you.
24) Remember everyone's birthdays, especially on campus. It sucks to have your birthday away from your family, so make them feel at home.
25) Do laundry regularly. Nuff said.
26) Do your dishes immediately after you use them. There is nothing more annoying than your roommates lying about not cleaning their dishes.
27) Make sure you make it known what it is NOT okay to touch. For me, that would be my mugs, beauty products, laptop, and food. Seriously.
28) Bring paint nail polish to school. Just do it.
29) Workout when you can. You'll feel better.
30) Ummm....Bring movies, too. Cable gets boring.
31) On that note, turn the tv off. At my apartment, it is on ALL DAY. One doesn't get a lot of quiet time, so just turn it all off.
32) If someone is proud of knowing something, or having done something, don't rain on their parade. Seriously. I told my roommate something awesome that I had learned and studied, and she told me I was wrong, when I was right (I have PROOF!!!), when she had NO experience in studying whatever. Really ticked me off.
33) Learn to braid hair if you haven't. Your roommates will love you for it, and it is always a great on the go hairdo.
34) Take a foreign language class. You will meet people in those classes from around the world, and hear them pray in other languages. I've met people from Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Asia, England, Argentina, Africa, Russia, and other places across the states. They are some of THE COOLEST people I have ever met.
35) Try to find people from your home area that you don't know before. Just from knowing someone that has the same "home" as you, they will make you feel more comfortable as you are away from home. There is nothing more frustrating than people not understanding you and judging you because of a different lifestyle, so it's always nice to be able to say, "Oh my gosh Jacqueline, my roommates have never been boating or eaten this food." Lame example. But it happens a lot.
I don't really know what this was about, whether it's advice to my non-existent younger readers, things that tick me off, or really just things I have learned. I just think college is an experience where people learn who they are and what they really want. By living with random people, they learn who they want, and what they value in a home setting that they create. I've learned so much in the 9 or 10ish weeks I have been here, not just from classes, but from people. Just learn to ignore the stuff that bothers you, and enjoy the stuff that will bring long term happiness.
