things I've learned

As my second semester of college approaches (6 days), I can't help but reflect on the craziness that was my first semester away from home. I thought I'd share just a few things I learned after becoming a real college student.

1. You're eating times will change. I am currently a fan of the "early bird special" and eating dinner at 5:00. Then of course, I'm starving for another dinner by 9:00, but have no kitchen to cook anything in. So, some nights I'll eat an entire bag of cheddar and sour cream chips. Yup, that's college for ya.

2. I know it's such a cliché, but coffee really becomes your best friend. I wake up and have a cup, sip a little bit more for lunch, then naturally have two more cups at night. Coffee is just another necessity for studying - just like you need a pen and a desk, I need my coffee.

3. Because I miss my own dogs so much, I get really really really excited when I see a dog. Any dog, anywhere, you can bet I'm screaming with joy on the inside when I see one.

4. Making friends in college is both easy and hard. Easy in the sense that no one knows each other so you're all looking to make new friends, but hard in the way that you miss your old friends back home and the easiness of being yourselves with them.

5. High school is so much easier than college. I really didn't think classes would be that much more difficult, but they really are. The work load and the amount of studying that has to be done far outweighs what I had to do in high school. But, the classes are more enjoyable. I find myself actually using or thinking about what I learned in my classes.

6. Homesickness is such a thing. Maybe not missing my actual house as much, but missing my people. My mom, my dad, my grandparents, my sister, my dogs, my Johnny boy. And missing the food. You'd think Austin would rise far above the restaurants in Coppell, but nothing can beat Anamia's or Local Diner. Just nothing.

There's so much more to college than what I just wrote, but these are just a few of the little things I learned. Bring on the second semester - I'm sure this list will get much, much longer.
1 semester down, 7 more to go!