There are so many things people never told us about college. We knew walking into Marshall University the next chapter of our lives would be amazing, but many of us also found college to be a different setting from what we originally envisioned.

Below is a list of things I wish I knew before starting college. Sure, there’s plenty of advice out there, but these are the ones I feel are commonly left out.

1. Investing in office supplies can literally save your college life. 

Upperclassmen warn us to bring our shower caddies, headphones and notebooks, but they never mention that investing in a stapler and hole punch is a must.

2. All you do is write, write, write, no matter what.

No matter your major, it’s a guarantee that you’ll be writing quite a bit. Whether it’s a small essay, research paper or written assignment, professors are constantly assigning some type of work to be typed or written up. There are also classes that are writing intensive and require students go above and beyond with writing.

3. You don’t have to ask to go to the bathroom.

After 13 years of asking to leave a classroom, it seemed like we would spend our entire lives asking for permission to use the bathroom. Most freshmen don’t realize that it’s acceptable to go without asking in college.

4. Never buy your textbooks before going to the first class.

It’s a common assumption that you need every textbook for every class, but that couldn’t be more wrong. Sometimes you barely use the textbook, and other times you need it every day.

5. 8 a.m. classes are Satan.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a morning person or not, everyone comes to loathe 8 a.m. classes. Sure, we all grew accustomed to an early wakeup time in school, but it’s not the same in college.

6. College is drastically different from high school, and it’s bittersweet. 

Even though we all had senioritis and wanted out of high school, everyone comes to miss certain aspects once starting college. Whether we hated it or not, it transformed us into adults.

7. Time flies by.

I never realized how fast time truly passes in college until I was on campus. The weeks pass so quickly, and before you know it, a semester is almost over.

8. It doesn’t matter who the smartest is anymore.

Say goodbye to the ACT/SAT scores that determined your college admission because no one talks about it anymore once you’ve started.

9. Everyone changes his or her major, and that’s okay.

Everyone changes his or her major at least once before becoming upperclassmen. Some of them may even decide to double major. There isn’t a bad stigma involved either; it just shows your interests are changing.

10. You lose touch with people you thought you’d always be friends with. 

Even if you attend college in your hometown, it’s still super easy to lose contact with everyone, close friends and all. It’s hard to keep up a friendship with someone you never see.

Bri Shelton can be contacted at [email protected].