Countdown to Never
Being a teenager means that eventually you're going to graduate from high school, and move on. Whether that be to the huffing, puffing, gun twirling military to protect/serve our nation, enter the workforce and start getting paid, or continue your education either at your local community college or the full blooded, unbelievable experience that is college. It's almost time to go for those of us who are starting our lives over at that new place, a clean piece of paper to write our own story, and waiting to pack up and leave is both nerve-racking and exciting at the same time. I'm talking, palm sweating, heart racing, dream-having, stomach churning, brain-bumping expectations. It's just countdown to never.
We may have all said that we absolutely couldn't wait to leave home, to get out of Nowheresville and to disconnect from everyone we already knew, but now that move-in is getting so close, we're not so sure. I know at least for me, I think about college all the time. I'll admit it, I'm both scared shatless, and ecstatic beyond compare. I realized now that I'm buying the stuff on my College Stuff (Girls List & Guys List) that I'm actually going to be packing everything up, taking all my clothes, my pictures, and even my teddy bear and moving it all into my brand new college dorm. It's absolutely unbelievable, and I'm sure I won't believe I'm really going until the night that I have to say goodbye to my sister and parents, the morning my one-way flight leaves and the moment I arrive on campus. Unless you completely don't care, I'm sure you've been marking the days until either sweet freedom or total chaos breaks loose. It's like a perpetual countdown to never.
In the next few weeks, you'll watch as your friends head off to college, while you wait, or you'll be off on your way too. It's an intense thought, my bromance best friend leaves for his university in like 2 weeks, and we haven't seen each other in like a week, that's a problem. Let me tell you, even though you may promise to text, call, facebook chat/message/wall post, tweet, google+ hangout, and skype it may or may not actually happen. Keeping friends form high school in college is a job you're going to really have to work at. I was talking with my other best friend, my bestie chica, about if it'd annoying for me to text her whenever something unreal happens (like me falling down all the stairs in the lecture hall, getting trapped in an elevator with that College Babe I saw at orientation, or being involved in a foodfight) and we determined, no, because she'll be doing the same thing right back. To keep your current friendships, you're going to need to work out times to contact your friends. For me, I'm planning on talking to my sister most likely on a daily basis, with my two best friends we'll skype weekly on Sundays at like 8/9pm, and for the other 4 and the random acquaintances I'd like to keep, facebook chatting or messaging, long texts and such will work just fine. The key is to be involved in their lives still, but not cling on so much that they don't have room to grow, have their own experience at college, and not forget you as well. When you do conversate, make sure to not only share about your life, but listen when they talk about theirs. And if you come home and they've got a different new friend, deal with it (College Friend Replacement). When you come home, leave your college life at college (Frat Life Comes Home). It's a tough thing to balance, but the countdown to never doesn't stop for anyone.
When I think about college my heart both leaps and then does a nosedive. I'm not going to lie, I'm more than nervous about it. So many thoughts run through my mind about the place. Who will my roommate be, will we get along - like will be best friends, friends, occasional acquaintances, or hate each other? WTE about my suite mates, they'd better not be hogging our Jack, Jack, Jack, and Jack bathroom. Will I make friends, as in, will I be as popular as I was in high school? Who will I sit with to go breakfast, lunch, and dinner? How hard will my classes be, as in how much time will I spend really studying instead of socializing? What if I get lost on campus, and then kidnapped, will anyone notice that I've been pilfered for a ransom? Here's the thing, the college social hierarchy is completely different from wherever you came from. Read this and read it well, who you were, what you did, and how super-popular or unbearably lame you were in high school does not apply here. Everyone is starting out as a nobody, if you want your name out there you're going to have to work for it. This is your chance to be whoever you want to be, people will only know what you tell them (and what they can deduce from creeping on facebook) and who were in high school is not who you will be in college. Most of all don't worry, I promise you'll fit in, you'll make friends and find where you belong soon enough. The countdown to never doesn't understand the meaning of pausing.
Being a teenager means facing the truth. It's about being afraid and being courageous at the same time. Next week, you can read up on more college posts, including the long awaited how to make friends in college, and of course the 200th Blog Post giveaway. Get ready by choosing your favorite blog post, all the way from 100th Post (Great Expectations) until the big one, and prepare to enter to win. We're such teenagers, and college is coming fast.
My blog post question for the day is ... what's your biggest college worry? Probably that my roommate and I won't get along at all, I'm talking dirty looks, rude pranks and a huge fight ending in both our suspensions from school.
We may have all said that we absolutely couldn't wait to leave home, to get out of Nowheresville and to disconnect from everyone we already knew, but now that move-in is getting so close, we're not so sure. I know at least for me, I think about college all the time. I'll admit it, I'm both scared shatless, and ecstatic beyond compare. I realized now that I'm buying the stuff on my College Stuff (Girls List & Guys List) that I'm actually going to be packing everything up, taking all my clothes, my pictures, and even my teddy bear and moving it all into my brand new college dorm. It's absolutely unbelievable, and I'm sure I won't believe I'm really going until the night that I have to say goodbye to my sister and parents, the morning my one-way flight leaves and the moment I arrive on campus. Unless you completely don't care, I'm sure you've been marking the days until either sweet freedom or total chaos breaks loose. It's like a perpetual countdown to never.In the next few weeks, you'll watch as your friends head off to college, while you wait, or you'll be off on your way too. It's an intense thought, my bromance best friend leaves for his university in like 2 weeks, and we haven't seen each other in like a week, that's a problem. Let me tell you, even though you may promise to text, call, facebook chat/message/wall post, tweet, google+ hangout, and skype it may or may not actually happen. Keeping friends form high school in college is a job you're going to really have to work at. I was talking with my other best friend, my bestie chica, about if it'd annoying for me to text her whenever something unreal happens (like me falling down all the stairs in the lecture hall, getting trapped in an elevator with that College Babe I saw at orientation, or being involved in a foodfight) and we determined, no, because she'll be doing the same thing right back. To keep your current friendships, you're going to need to work out times to contact your friends. For me, I'm planning on talking to my sister most likely on a daily basis, with my two best friends we'll skype weekly on Sundays at like 8/9pm, and for the other 4 and the random acquaintances I'd like to keep, facebook chatting or messaging, long texts and such will work just fine. The key is to be involved in their lives still, but not cling on so much that they don't have room to grow, have their own experience at college, and not forget you as well. When you do conversate, make sure to not only share about your life, but listen when they talk about theirs. And if you come home and they've got a different new friend, deal with it (College Friend Replacement). When you come home, leave your college life at college (Frat Life Comes Home). It's a tough thing to balance, but the countdown to never doesn't stop for anyone.
When I think about college my heart both leaps and then does a nosedive. I'm not going to lie, I'm more than nervous about it. So many thoughts run through my mind about the place. Who will my roommate be, will we get along - like will be best friends, friends, occasional acquaintances, or hate each other? WTE about my suite mates, they'd better not be hogging our Jack, Jack, Jack, and Jack bathroom. Will I make friends, as in, will I be as popular as I was in high school? Who will I sit with to go breakfast, lunch, and dinner? How hard will my classes be, as in how much time will I spend really studying instead of socializing? What if I get lost on campus, and then kidnapped, will anyone notice that I've been pilfered for a ransom? Here's the thing, the college social hierarchy is completely different from wherever you came from. Read this and read it well, who you were, what you did, and how super-popular or unbearably lame you were in high school does not apply here. Everyone is starting out as a nobody, if you want your name out there you're going to have to work for it. This is your chance to be whoever you want to be, people will only know what you tell them (and what they can deduce from creeping on facebook) and who were in high school is not who you will be in college. Most of all don't worry, I promise you'll fit in, you'll make friends and find where you belong soon enough. The countdown to never doesn't understand the meaning of pausing.
Being a teenager means facing the truth. It's about being afraid and being courageous at the same time. Next week, you can read up on more college posts, including the long awaited how to make friends in college, and of course the 200th Blog Post giveaway. Get ready by choosing your favorite blog post, all the way from 100th Post (Great Expectations) until the big one, and prepare to enter to win. We're such teenagers, and college is coming fast.
My blog post question for the day is ... what's your biggest college worry? Probably that my roommate and I won't get along at all, I'm talking dirty looks, rude pranks and a huge fight ending in both our suspensions from school.
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