Five things I wish I knew before College...

Now that it is officially been summer for a month (for me at least) I have been thinking of something things that I wish I would have known before my freshman year of college. Exactly this time last year I was graduating from high school. This time, in particular, was a very rough time for me and I honestly had no idea what I was doing with my life. All I knew was I was taking it one day at a time. I prayed all summer and with only a few weeks left of summer I had finally made my decision to go off to college. Although it was only 4 hours from home (originally) I was nervous but excited to get out of my tiny town in North Florida. I didn’t know a single soul going into my freshman year but I knew that God was in control of it all and I was excited to start this new journey in life.
 Here are some things that I wish I had known before my first year of College. 

1.  It is okay to be lonely. I experienced this specifically in my first semester. Although I lived with seven other girls there were times that I felt extremely lonely. I couldn’t explain it but I know there were others who felt the exact same way. It is a new experience, a new place with new friends and there is so much to adjust to and it is okay to go through a period of time where you feel lonely because you are not the only one.  

2. Boys and girls are just as immature. You always hear about couples meeting in college and if your school is anything like mine they are most likely always married before graduation, but I have come to find that most boys don’t really care and they are just that, boys. At my school, they are either jocks who go out and party all the time, or the boys you would want to date are already in a relationship. Another thing that I found weird in college is how many different cliques there are. It might just be because I go to such a small school, but there really are so many groups of girls who just keep to their friend groups and don't welcome others, and if they do you are always kept at an arm's length. Although there are people like this, if you are in the place God want's you to be you will find some of your very best friends who want to help you grow. 

3. Don’t be pressured to go out. I go to a small private Christian school, but that does not mean people don't go out. Although people don't out every night like some other party schools, there are lots of students who go out fridays and saturdays. One thing about me is I don't go out, and almost all of my weekends consisted of just hanging out with my friends, and some of my best memories consist of us in our common room just talking and laughing. I was very lucky to have suitemates who became some of my best friends. One of my favorite memories with them was on one of the first nights when we all walked to the beach and shared parts of our testimonies and prayed altogether. That is something I really think helped with our relationships. 

4. Freshman fifteen is real. This is something that I struggled with during my freshman fifteen. My body was definitely not used to being able to go to the cafe and just eat anything haha, especially the ice cream bar. Anyway, one huge tip I would recommend in college is to stay active. My weight has always been something I have been self-conscious about and looking back I really wish I had known how real the freshman fifteen was.

5. These years will be some of the best years of your life. I know that I just finished freshman year, but I truly had so much fun I can't wait to experience the years to come. I have made so many amazing memories and so many amazing friends and I can't stress enough how important it is to be open and to reach out to others. I remember reaching out to so many different girls and just complimenting them on their outfit or something which just sparked a conversation and then we were friends hahah. 

Anyway, those are somethings that I wish I knew before going into my freshman year of college. If any of yall are going into college I wish you the best of luck and blessings. Make sure to subscribe by entering your email so you can be notified when I post a new blog post. 

xoxo, Paige