Stuff I've Learned in College.... so far

Hi everyone! Well, I'm in college! Woooo! Here are some things I've learned here... besides the geography of the ancient Mediterranean world and how to make up harmonies for a melody line on piano.

P.S. I apologize for the random assortment of photos on this blog. I don't take many pictures!

1. You make friends quickly.

College is different. You live here. You eat 2 meals a day in the caf, you walk around to all your classes, and you hang out on the weekends here. You gotta have people to eat, walk, and hang out with! So, you get really close to your friends. I have the besssssttt friends here at Belmont. They are incredible. They help me chill out, they make me think about things I've never thought about before, and they even got me to church last Sunday! I love y'all!

A recent excursion to downtown Nashville

2. You don't sleep.

Seriously, though. Maybe it's just because I'm a music major in 3 ensembles and I'm in the honors program.... but I never sleep. I'm actually getting used to only getting 6 hours of sleep every night, instead of the 8-9 hours I got in high school. But for me, it would be impossible to do well in school AND music, AND have a decent social life if I were worried about getting to bed on time every night. Thankfully, I don't have class until 12:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.... mwahahah.

My weekly schedule - the iPhone app I used for this is called  iStudiez Pro. I totally recommend it!

3. You gotta drink water.

Okay. Okay. Water is essential. I have a really nice Camelbak water bottle that I carry around EVERYWHERE. Every day. It's a half liter, and I refill it 3 times a day. Whenever I forget to bring my bottle with me in the morning, I feel so dehydrated and gross all day. And with all this meningitis stuff floating around, I'm doing whatever I can to keep from getting sick. That includes attaching a mini bottle of germ-x to the side of my purse. No shame!

This is the graffiti inside the bathroom stalls on my floor of the dorm building. I love this school! :)

4. Weather is hard.

MEH. In high school, if it was pouring down rain or even storming, it was alright because the only time I was outside was when I went from my car to the school. In college, it's way different. I have to walk all over the campus every day (my ensemble rehearsals are off-campus at the concert hall), and when it's pouring rain, that's not fun. Thankfully, I have a good raincoat and an umbrella. It's difficult, but you just gotta be prepared.

My side of my dorm room! I've tweaked a few things since I took this picture on move-in day, but it still looks basically the same. I still want to do some stuff to it to make it feel more comfortable. What do you think?

5. Check. Your. Email.

Just for this reason, it's so beneficial to have a smartphone as a college student. Professors send important messages in email form, and you can be totally lost if you haven't checked your inbox. I check my email like four times a day! I even figured out how to forward my Belmont email to my Gmail account... Yeah, that was a stroke of genius for me.

The beautiful view from the top of the parking garage

6. Upperclassmen want to help you. Seriously.

If you're a freshman in college and you have a question about anything about your school, you're stupid if you don't ask an upperclassman. Every older student I've met is so eager to help with my issues. Last weekend, I went on a retreat with the freshman and some upperclassman honors students. The upperclassmen answered all of my questions and concerns, and even led a devotional Sunday morning that focused on letting go of your worries. Upperclassmen have most likely been through the same experiences you have, and they probably know what they're doing by now. If any of you are reading this, thank you so much for your help, and I'm sorry for asking you so many questions all the time!

Our cabins at the honors retreat to Barefoot Republic in Kentucky

7. We're all in this together!

As cheesey as that sounds, it's so true. We're all stressing out over tests, reading, presentations, music, and life. We all have stressful days. But if we stick together, we can make it through these four years! If not for my amazing friends and classmates, I think I would explode. You have to make time to have fun. You can't stay cooped up in your room all day doing homework.. Your mind will get bored and start wandering! So whether you take a long walk around campus, go out to eat, watch a movie on Netflix, or go to a concert, it's so important to free your mind for a few hours when you're feeling overwhelmed.

Even though this list makes it seem like college is horrible and stressful and killer, college is actually really fun. It's a little weird at first, since there's no curfew and no parents. But once you find a good group of friends who help you chill out on your most stressful days, you can actually have a great time.
I'm so happy to be here at Belmont! I love it here. I love Nashville. I love the people I've met who are from across the country. I'm so thankful for everyone who helped get me here, especially my parents. Thank y'all for sticking with me on this crazy journey! I'll post again once I think of a decent topic ;D Keep a smile on your face!