From the moment I stepped foot on the beautiful campus of my chosen university, I was in awe. From the gorgeous landscaping to the towering dormitories, I couldn't wait to live out the next four years of my life in what seemed to be utopia. I would be away from my parents, old, stale classmates, and the hustle and bustle of my hometown.
Little did I know, I would soon be longing to return home again... kind of. I found out the hard way that this life on campus was not all it was cracked up to be. The tours and lectures I had endured had only skimmed the top of the gruesome times ahead. The day I moved into my grimy dorm room, I realized that the university had lied to me.

You see, when I had taken my numerous tours, the guides led us to the attractive parts of campus, purposefully avoiding the dingy corners and less than nice facilities. I remember my tour of the dorm that I was to live in my first year. The tour guide showed the group what the school called a 'concept' room, meaning that the furniture was new and that it could be arranged in whatever way the student pleased. I also remember feeling excitement at the thought that I would be living in such a room. But on the first day of school, I felt disappointment as I loaded a car full of clothes and bedding into my dusty, stuffy room, not nearly as nice as the concept room. "It's not that bad...." I thought. I also thought that the communal bathrooms wouldn't be that bad. But a few months down the road, and an eye infection later, I was seriously questioning my sanity.

Now, the food in college is a completely different story. If you are not used to delicious home cooked meals from your chef-like mother every night, you might do just fine. The quality of school food is, in my opinion, below par. Sometimes there may be an option that seems somewhat gourmet, but the rest of the time, it's either pizza, burgers, or meatloaf, or you don't eat that night. I have even heard a rumor that laxatives are cooked into the food so that the students are able to digest it. I am a very health-conscious person, so I tend to mostly eat salad, but even that gets old. There are only so many options, and only so many times you can stand the taste of mushy cucumber. In this upcoming year, I am looking forward to cooking more for myself and a little more variety in my diet.

I am not trying to paint a dismal picture of the university lifestyle; it does have its ups. It teaches you a lot about yourself and what you REALLY want. I've learned that I definitely appreciate my privacy as well as a nice spinach salad. I've also learned what it takes to live around people 24/7 and how to become friends with some of them. I would say that it was worth it to have the experience that I can look back and laugh at forty years from now. Plus, as I learned from some of my friends who chose to live off-campus their first year, life is considerably easier. So, if you are an inquisitive incoming freshman, I encourage you to take on the experience with gusto like I did, and learn something from it. Hopefully it will encourage you to grow up. I know it did for me. Good luck and best wishes!