6 Things I've Learned About College

1. College is full of diseases.  If one person in your dorm is sick, it's guaranteed to spread like wildfire.  I've been here for less than six weeks and already had three different infections.  Plus, my immune system sucks.

2. College is LOUD.  Even in the Honors dorm, although to be fair, most of the noise isn't from the people who live with me.  It's because my room looks out onto a street, and there's constant noise in some form (traffic, road work, frickin' LEAF BLOWERS).  And just because you shut your window doesn't mean the noise goes away.

This is me.  I am Simon Cowell.

3. Campus is a lot bigger than you think when you have to walk everywhere.  Every building on campus is at least 5 minutes farther away than I think.  Every time.  Even after 5 weeks of being here.  And when you're out of shape like me, it's a constant workout to get to class.  But on the bright side, the Oregon State campus is incredibly beautiful, especially in the fall.  Here are some pictures I took while out and about on campus:

4) Time moves wayyyyyyy too fast.  All summer/all through high school, time seemed to have slowed down to negative snail speed.  The minute I hit college, time decided to make up for all of that by attempting to reach light speed.  It's the end of Week 4 (I've been here for 5), midterms are upon us, and I already have my classes scheduled for next term.  My days literally disappear.  I wish time would slow down just a bit, so my brain could catch up.

I really like this sort of surreal piece of art...

5) Things like this are completely normal:

Ballroom dancing at midnight.  Completely random things like this happen all the time, and I must say, it's quite entertaining!

6) It's surprisingly easy to make friends.  Even though I'm quite a social person, I've never been good at engaging in that first encounter with people, so I was a little apprehensive about the whole social thing.  I've known the same people for years, so it's a rare occasion when I've had to make new friends.  But everyone (well, almost everyone) is super friendly, even if it's just a short chat in the elevator.  And everyone is pretty much in the same boat, so it's always appreciated if you make the first move.  Even "Hi, I'm Lily" has worked wonders in the making-friends department.

*Word of advice on this issue: consider joining a sorority.  I never thought it would be right for me, but I went through recruitment and found such an amazing, down-to-earth group of real girls in my house.  I had an instant group of friends who I fit with perfectly.  The sorority stereotypes do exist, but they are not always accurate.  Every house has something special to offer, and you truly do find the group of girls you belong with.  Try to keep an open mind.*

The End.

~From Lily With Love~