Tag: friends

Don’t Wish It Away

On this gloomy afternoon, my roommate is playing country music while we do homework. “5 More Minutes” by Scotty McCreery happened to come on and the song jolted me back to high school. Although I don’t like to admit it, I had senioritis upon entering high school. I was as guilty as the next person of wondering why it couldn’t just be Friday. During high school, and even now, I found myself always wondering that and being mentally and emotionally disengaged from what was going on around me. I didn’t “live in the moment.” (I am not saying you shouldn’t plan things out, but I do feel that it’s important to be present in what’s going on NOW.)

Anyways, as I sat here listening to the words, I realized that even though I vowed I would never miss high school, I do. Even though I was so excited to move away from home the majority of the year, I miss living there. And I really miss getting everything paid for…

In a lot of ways we all, myself included, are wishing for 5 more minutes at the same time as we’re wishing for it to be Friday. My senior year was when these thoughts started to really intertwine in my life. While I was wishing for it to be Friday, I was praying that my last Homecoming week would slow down. Even while I counted down the weeks until graduation, I thought about how sad it would be to lose contact with the people I’d gone to school with for 13 years. These thoughts impacted me so much that I decided to give short stories about my classmates and I from every year that we went to school in my speech at graduation, a last chance to reminisce together before it was all over.

In many ways, I find myself following the same pattern in college. About a week ago I found myself on a loop thinking about how different things will be in a few years. I know that we should always be grateful for what we have and where we’re at, but graduating from high school and going into college really makes me think about how much I took for granted when I was younger.

Honestly, college is sort of a final attempt to avoid growing up.

With these thoughts, I wanted to share a little piece of advice with the high school seniors that are so ready to “get out.” You’ve probably heard it a thousand times, but you’re gonna miss it. Please, quit wishing it away. Sure, high school is not “the best time of your life” for everyone. But high school, and school in general, teaches you so many things about yourself and the people around you. Don’t wish it away. When you find yourself wishing it was Friday, wishing graduation was this weekend, or wishing you were officially an adult already, think about everything that you’ve learned from school. I’m not talking academically, I’m talking life lessons.

Your life could change in a split second, so why wish all those seconds away?

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I know I’ve been a little absent the last few weeks but this Midwest blizzard is giving me a little extra time. As everyone travels home from their respective Thanksgivings and family gatherings, I’m sure we all have been thinking on what we’re thankful for.

As for me, I had to drive back to college a little earlier than planned due to the weather, and the drive kept me reflective on what I was thankful for. It’s almost harder to leave home after a long break than after a weekend. BUT, being home allowed me to compile a list of things at home and at college that I am most thankful for, and that you graduating seniors should keep in mind as you are about to embark on the last part of your journey in high school.

HOME

  1. Family- Okay, this one may seem like an obvious one but I truly think we take our families for granted. When I was home for break my sisters and brothers went almost everywhere with me when I left home (so did my dog!) and although they didn’t say it out loud, it was clear to me that they miss me being home all the time. And I miss them, too! It’s weird going from 3 siblings around you all the time to none.
  2. Food- Another obvious one, but especially because it was Thanksgiving, home-cooked meals taste a heckeva lot better than cafeteria food! Enjoy a variety of meat instead of frozen hamburger patties and chicken. Eat the vegetables while they are prepared. Eat some fruit. College seems to be lacking in those areas…
  3. My House- There’s something about being in your own house that puts the mind at ease. I feel more comfortable being in my own house than being in a dorm, and I also enjoy having carpet( which college also lacks in). And the Christmas decor at home puts my 3 ft dorm tree to shame.
  4. My Community- This weekend my high school was talented enough and worked hard enough to make school history. Our football team made it to the State Semi-Finals game! I was blessed enough to be able to watch it, surrounded by family (biological and not) and friends. We ended up losing, but the sense of school pride and the amount of people from the community who came out to watch was amazing! Being surrounded with that kind of atmosphere can make a girl miss high school…

College

  1. Independence- Ironically, while at home I miss college and while at college I miss home. When I’m at college, I’m pretty much on my own, leaving anything I do up to me. It’s a weird balance to come home and need to tell your mom where, when, and what you’re going to do when you leave the house. I think I speak for most college students when I say that the sense of independence is one of the most rewarding things about college- you have to learn to make adult decisions and you are in charge of your own wellbeing.
  2. The Dorm- As weird as this may seem, I actually really enjoy living in the dorms. My high school College Prep teacher once told us that college was the only time in your life where you lived surrounded by your best friends 24/7.  And she was absolutely right! I know a lot of the people I live with, and my floor regularly does things together. Last week we had a floor decorating party complete with sparkling grape juice before we left for break! Around halloween, we hosted a trick-or-treat in the dorms! Now, if I could only track down who stole my flamingo socks from the laundry room…
  3. Wifi- Now this isn’t something everyone agrees with me on…In fact, I hear a lot of people complain about the Wifi at my school. But for me, it’s fantastic! My Wifi at home is spotty at best so having Wifi 24/7 at college has been great.
  4. The Non-Judgemental Atmosphere- In all honesty, there will probably never be a 100% judgement free zone. But college is pretty close! In college, you become a lot more open minded-to everything. You have many people with varying opinions on all sorts of topics, but somehow it’s all okay. The openmindedness allows for friendships to blossom that probably wouldn’t in any other atmosphere.

All in all, I have nothing to complain about. Life is great! Life is very different now than it was a year ago, but it’s a good different.

To all my fellow college students, good luck on the upcoming finals! And to everyone in the Midwest, have a great blizzard day!

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Mid-Term Evaluations: What is College Really Like?

Hello and welcome back to The Grow Up Project! Us college students have been getting hit with midterms the past few weeks, and I thought that this would be a great time in the semester to point out the differences I see between college and high school. I’ve put together a list of 5 things that stand out to me at this  point in college.

My First Year Experience Class (also known as the McGilley House) won the first house competition-trivia!

  1. Meetings: College is all about meetings. I know I’ve said it before because I was amazed at the amount of meetings that I have to go to. Meetings for my volleyball team (on top of practice), weekly student government meetings, professors want to meet with students outside of class. If you want to talk to someone who is not a student while in college, you have to schedule a meeting.
  2. Tests: I have had all of 1 test (max) per class this semester. ONE. I’m scheduled to have about three total tests in most of my classes, including the final. It’s weird not having a test after every chapter or unit like happens a lot in high school.
  3. Teachers: I don’t know about you, but most of my high school teachers didn’t have a PhD. Almost all of my college professors do. And surprisingly, these people are honestly very lenient. They take attendance at my school, but not at most bigger institutions. They almost always let us out of class early (there’s a few exceptions, of course). A lot of my professors are hilarious, too.  The thing that I like best about the professors at my school is that they care. One of my teammates was going on a visit to a different college this week, and my theology professor called (yes, like on the phone) her to try to convince her to stay.  That’s dedication.
  4. Living Conditions: Okay duh Reagan. But hear me out. Yes, clearly I’m in a completely different place than I would be at home, but it still feels like home to me. I feel like I live in a giant apartment building where I know all my neighbors. Where we hang out and watch scary movies in the lounge. Where we have the loud side of the hallway and the quiet side. Where there’s music playing at almost all hours of the day. Living in the dorms is actually pretty fun if you make it that way. That’s the thing about college, it is what you make it.

    My house won the second competition, too! We Escaped!
  5. The People: At my little school in Kansas, we have a lot of people from California. The first few weeks, our dorm hosted several meet and greet opportunities and a lot of people showed up. People from California repeatedly told me that people from Kansas were “so nice”. That we weren’t super judgy or materialistic. Now, despite what some may  be thinking, I actually agree with them. And my college showcases that well. I have met some of the most amazing people here on campus. People are really nice because everyone is in the same boat. At the beginning, no one knows each other, then the friend groups form, but for some reason college students are extremely open to meeting new people and trying new things. It’s honestly a great atmosphere.
  6. BONUS–The Homesickness: I am only 45ish minutes from home. But I have friends who are 2, 3, 4+ hours away. If I get homesick, I know they must, too. Going away to college has its appeal, until you’re there. It is weird being “removed” from your old life. I  notice how much I’m missing when I do go home. My siblings are growing up, my pets are getting older, and my high school has changed a ton. You take for granted all of that when you are right in the midst of it. But when you’re gone, even for just a few weeks, a lot does change. And goshdangit, it is really hard to shop for presents for people you aren’t around all the time!

College so far has been all it’s cracked up to be. I love the people here, classes aren’t bad at all (right now), and this is for sure one of the best experiences of my life.

I also want to let y’all in on a little secret. Well, I’ll give a hint.  A few of my friends and I had an idea over breakfast for dinner (at 11pm). It involves cameras. Stay tuned next week for the big reveal!

 

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They said I would miss it…

Hello again! I can honestly say that the past week flew past me. Actually, this semester is flying past me. I mean, it’s already October! This week, I got to thinking. One thing about me is that I think A LOT. I zone out of conversations (not necessarily a good quality), I stop mid-sentence, I talk to myself, all because I’m thinking.

Anyway, what was I thinking about? About life. About how different it is not seeing my family everyday, or at least knowing they live in the same house as me. I have come to the realization that buying Christmas presents just got a whole lot harder. I’m an observer and I usually figure out what to get people based on how they act, what they say, what they like. All of that stuff is a lot harder to figure out when you aren’t around someone all the time.

On a different note, I never thought I would miss people from high school as much as I do. Sure, I miss some of my teachers, but I’m talking about students. I genuinely miss the kids I went to school with and the reliability that came with going to a small school and seeing the same people everyday. I did that for 13 years of my life. It becomes your normal. I find myself checking up on people that I never in a million years would have thought I would care about. I go on social media purposefully to see how my former classmates are doing, because of this: no one can change the fact that I spent the majority of my life with these people. With these people I experienced some of the best things of my life, and some of the worst. We complained about teachers and homework, we cheered obnoxiously at sports games, we knew lots of things about each other. That’s not something that I can give up easily. I may not be best friends with these people, maybe not friends at all, but at the end of the day, I still care about them and I want them to be successful. I spent 13 of my 18 years of life with these people.

I was also thinking about this: one year ago today, I was stressing about where to go to school. I was stressing about what to major in. I was worried about not making friends in college, failing college classes, and a load of other things that I had no reason to worry about. And here I am, one year later, and I’m fine. (No, I still don’t really know what I wanna do with my life, but that’s beside the point.) Here’s what I’ve learned: college is great. No, I definitely don’t have my life figured out. But I am blessed to have moved on to another small school and as a result, I have gained another family. That’s something that not everyone can say they have, and I am so happy that I can.

One thing is for sure though, they weren’t lying when they said I’d miss it…

P.S. To all high school seniors, college students, or parents of the former: FAFSA opened today, Oct. 1st and you should fill that out ASAP!

 

I Came Home!

Happy Monday and happy Labor Day! I got to come home to spend the weekend so I’m definitely happy about this holiday!

When I came home, there were a few things I noticed right away that I missed:

The Shower-At college, water pressure sucks. Plain and simple. It takes me 30+ minutes to wash my hair at college (not kidding)! It feels like I barely turned the sink faucet on, and then spread it out through a shower head. My first shower at home, I think it took about 10 minutes or less to wash my hair. Oh, the power of water pressure.

The Bed- This observation was not neccessarily a bad one, but different all the same. In a college dorm, we sleep on twin XL mattresses. Although if I’m honest, I don’t have much faith in the XL part-my feet still touch the end railing. BUT, I do have a wonderful cooling gel memory foam mattress topper that goes on my mattress at college. I’ve gotten used to rolling into the wall, almost falling off the other side, and having my comforter fall off because the wall won’t let it stay on my bed…My first night back at home, I layed down in my bed and, low and behold, I could roll both directions. I could stretch my legs out and not feel the end of the mattress. And, if I feel like sleeping diagonal that is no problem at all. It might be tough to go back to my dorm bed.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes-I love to cook. And while my dorm does have two kitchens that we can use, I just can’t justify going out and getting all the ingredients I need to cook something. Especially since I have a meal plan, so it’s not like I’m being deprived of anything. I didn’t realize how much I missed cooking until I woke up on Saturday morning with the urge to make chocolate chip pancakes-so I did. And they were delicious. Having the ability to make food whenever I want is something I didn’t realize I would miss so much.

My Family, of course-In a family like mine, it would be hard to not notice a difference at college. At college, my brother isn’t ripping hair out of my skull (“but I thought it was a loose one!”) or yelling “HEY!” really loud at me. My little sister isn’t asking to borrow my clothes (she IS borrowing them anyway, though) and my other sister isn’t having nightly dance parties in the hallway with me. My dogs don’t get to go on car rides with me, or leave a cup of slime on my leg after licking me, or ask to be scratched for 20 minutes. I didn’t realize that I actually missed all of it until I was gone. And now that I’m back, I’m not quite sure I miss all of it…. but I do miss a lot of it. And you can bet I’m already looking forward to the next weekend I get to spend home.

My friends-Hanging out, getting icecream, making frozen pizza, etc. I knew I missed them,

We worked on converting Kels into a Husker fan this weekend…and then the game got cancelled 🙁

but I didn’t know how much until I got to hang out with them again! They can make me laugh like no one else can and I’m so happy to have them all in my life, even if I don’t get to see them as much now.

College-Oddly enough, when I got home, I realized I missed college. I miss my roomie, I miss the caf (not sure why but I do), and I miss the friends that I’ve made over the past couple weeks. It hasn’t quite been a month, but college is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve met people I otherwise would never get to. College impacts you in a way that you can’t understand unless you’re experiencing it. It’s crazy to me that I only get to experience four years of this!

When talking with some friends from high school this weekend, I realized I missed one more thing. High school. Now believe me, I never thought those words would ever come out of my mouth. And I don’t think it’s the actual school part that I miss. It’s the friendships and bonds that were formed over 13 years. It’s the feeling of doing the first ‘lasts’ together with people you’ve grown up with. It’s the student sections, the spirit days, the overall family that was my high school. After high school, you really don’t get to experience that ever again. That’s something I hope I never take for granted. Now, I’m just determined to make the most of college!