Launching your cute little self out of your comfort zone and into the land of college is exciting…’cause, if your ‘comfort zone’ growing up was anything like mine…just about any circumstance would be more comfortable. Or so you think.

You don’t truly realize the invisible lines that are drawn in society until college. You don’t have your own beliefs questioned so much as you do in college. You don’t have to push your own mental and physical limits so much as you do in college. And you (hopefully) never have to live in such close proximity with others your whole life, outside of college.

You will, invariably, encounter some things that are strange to you and you’re just gonna have to learn to deal…but here are some tips.

Open Sexuality
Maybe you’re not that sexual. Or maybe you’re just moderately sexual. Nonetheless, you’d better be OK with seeing naked bodies and hearing people do the humpty dance on the bunk above you, because sex is more than just a past time at college. From girls shaving their coochies in the ladies room to walking in on sex in the stairwell, my first year of college certainly reminded me that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore…and it’ll probably do the same for you.

Absurd Drinking Games
College, especially the first two years, is prison for your liver. Even if you enter college straight edge, like I did, you just may come out a little crooked (like I did). No, you don’t have to be down for every ridiculous and far-fetched drinking game that your new friends invite you to partake in, but at least be prepared to say NO or YES when your roomie dares you to finish a bottle of wine in the shower. (I said yes once and only once to that challenge.)

Fire Alarms From Hell
Fire alarms used to wake me up at every hour of the night. They were so invasive and annoying that my ex-boyfriend once hid in a closet instead of going outside for the drill at 4am. The downside to that? At the school where I went, I would have been fined $100 if he had been found. Fire alarms are simply part of the dorming experience. Make the best of them and take your pillow, or homework, with you.

Drugs
To put it plain and simple…college may very well be your first time encountering some drugs. I knew people in high school who did coke, but in college, it was simply everywhere. I’d walk into someone’s room to borrow notes for a class and they’d be doing a line on their desk. Of course the drugs aren’t always as common and they certainly aren’t limited to coke. You should, however, be prepared to be around drugs that you have never been around before. And if you want to make some quick enemies on campus, tell the R.A.!

Absense of Absolute Truth
No matter what you think, you’re going to meet people at school who think differently. You might think they’re going to hell, they might think you’re going to hell. You might believe in free love, they might believe in abstinence. WHATEVER. College is the breeding ground for free minds because it forces you into a situation where you have to be civil with people who believe things very different from you. So be open minded or…drop out.

College is a wonderful experience, but it can definitely be overwhelming at first…especially the 180 turn your surroundings are about to make. Be nice to everyone, always be honest, and have a good time.

(Photo from: collegepublisher.com)