College...The Good and the Bad

I just finished reading and article on the Thought Catalog titled "Things I Miss About College", okay I had really only skimmed through it when it gave me the idea to write my own version.
College to me is the gateway to adulthood. In some ways college prepares you for your adult life while still being able to maintain your youth. Anybody that has already experienced college and graduated knows that being in college comes with both the good and the bad. Those who are still in college currently might not really be able to relate just yet because they are still experiencing everything that college has to offer.

I figured I would start with the Bad things about college first and then end with a positive, the Good.

The Bad.....

1. Being away from your parents and family. Some of you are probably thinking how in the world is that a bad thing??!! Being away from your parents at college is bad when you realize how much you depending on them while living at home such as:
- Money $$$$ (every college kid has experienced this)
- Structure ( some kids once they go to college go buck wild, while some can control themselves other can't)
- Reminders (when I say reminders I mean reminders to get a hw assignment done, to check your laundry or for some kids their parents do their laundry for them, waking up on time for something)

2. THE FOOD. I don't think I have met one person that could say the food they were served at college was better than their mom's home-cooking. I went to an HBCU (Historically Black College/ University). You would think since I was around mostly all black people, including the kitchen staff, that the food would be like mom's...WRONG. College food is probably the nastiest food but over the years you grow to like or even crave some of the meals. On the weekends after a night of heavy drinking the breakfast they served was clutch though. Most of the time the food they served was unhealthy or nasty which would then force many students to order out all the time or rely on the dollar menu at McDonalds.

3. Roommates. Now don't get me wrong my roommates weren't bad really but sometimes sharing a space with someone for basically a year can be annoying at times. All of my roommates have done little things to get on my nerves here and there but for the most part we got along. My roommate sophomore year actually ended up becoming one of my really close friends at school. The only time I really had roommate drama was my senior year. Everything was cool between us at first until she brought her new puppy to stay in our room without asking. I'm allergic to dogs and her dog peed and pooped all over my side of the room. Her and and her boyfriend just laughed it off, I however was not the least bit amused. We also got into a huge fight over comments we had both said about one another but we were able to resolve it like adults and were cool after that.

4. Outfit/ Hair judging. Now this may not be the same for every college but again I did go to an all black school. Almost everyday I would see people, myself included, get judged for what they were wearing, how their hair looked and how they talked. Some days I would try to look my best for me and because I did not want to get talked about and other days when it was cold or rainy or if I just did not feel good I did not really put that much effort into my outfit choice. I'm not sure why black people are this way but we tend to really focus on what someone is wearing and judge them based off of that. Don't get me wrong my friends and I would do the same but then it got to a point where I no longer did it because it should not matter what kind of outfit someone has on. I would see girls dress like they are going to the club..for a class that was only 50 minutes long. WHY? they would look silly in their stilettos as they tried not break their neck rushing to their class they were already late for.

The Good.....

1. Memories. Memories from elementary, middle, and highschool are great too but I think college memories are some of the best memories because College is basically one giant sleepover. I remember me and one of my friends in middle school wondered what it would be like if everyone at school could just spend the night and have fun....well little did we know we were fantasizing about a place we now know as COLLEGE lol. There is nothing better than be able to see your friends all the time or even your crush and hang out with no parental supervision and just party.

2.  Friendships. I have come to realize that most of the time people you were close with in high school don't stay your friends after graduation unless you had a really close friendship. I only keep in contact with a few of my friends from high school. I don't know what it is specifically but there is something about making friends in college that is different. Of course after college graduation you may loose contact with some people but usually the friends you make in college end up becoming your life long friends afterwards (or so one would hope). But I have heard this same testimony from many people who have already graduated from college.

3. Parties and random nights. Going to parties and just getting into random adventures with friends, especially when drunk, provide some of the best times and laughs. Because most of the people at school did not know how to behave themselves without getting into a fight during a party my school kind of did away with parties for awhile. After much complaining from the students they finally agreed to let us have a few campus parties every now and then.  That was such a rare treat for us so whenever there was a party in the gym it was always a big deal. The parties I went to were always fun. My friends and I would pregame before the party since our campus was a dry campus, meaning alcohol was a BIG NO, and put on our best outfits and just dance and have fun at the parties. After the party is was always a given that somewhere on campus in someone's room you could expect some type of after party. Random night shenanigans were always fun especially when our guy friends were involved. They would always come into our rooms and we would drink and play card games

4. Campus Events. Attending the football games, basketball games, step shows, talent shows, and block shows and probates were always a lot of fun. Going to those events you could pretty much expect to see almost the entire school. The music and atmosphere was great and just reminded you that you are in college and now is the time to have a blast because once you leave college you can't do half of things you did while at school.

5. Being away from home. I know it sounds like I am contradicting myself but being away from home is both a good and bad experience. I've already said why it can be bad but it can also be good because you get to have freedom and really develop a sense of who you are as a person. It may be scary at times but not having your parents close by to run to every time you have a problem or issue really forces you to grow up cuz lets be real...we aren't going to live at home forever and our parents won't be here forever. We have to be able to know how to handle somethings on our own without dialing our parents number on speed dial.