Recently my family dropped my sister off at college at NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Before she left, all I heard about was Madison going to college. Every time we saw someone we knew, they never failed to ask her “Where are you going to college?” or “When do you leave?” or “Are you excited?” I got really tired of hearing the same thing every time we left the house.
Honestly, I didn’t want to go with my sister to college. I did not want to spend my last week of summer vacation stuck in a car for 21 hours on the way to Fort Lauderdale and another 21 hours back to Mansfield because I hate long car rides and wanted to spend the week with my friends. She convinced me to go by saying that being in Florida the last week of summer would be just like a vacation. It was not at all like a vacation.
Moving Madison into the dorm did not go very smoothly. She had a mix up with her roommate, so I waited with her for a few hours until the situation was resolved. I’m pretty sure they dragged me along so they didn’t have to carry all of her belongings to her room. There were also issues with Madison’s scholarship money, so I sat through a boring meeting with a financial advisor. Shopping for her dorm wasn’t fun either because she got irritated when my mom asked her what kind of mop she wanted or what brand of cleaning stuff to buy.
Doing all of the things to get her ready for college made me hate it. It definitely made me appreciate being in high school. I don’t have to worry about what kind of mop I have. I have my parents to help me when I need them, but in college you have nobody but yourself. Also, college is more than just a mental stress. If you don’t make friends, you’re stuck alone for an entire year. If you hate your roommate, you’re stuck with that person for an entire year. I don’t have to worry about things like that. I do wish that I could be older, preferably 16 when I get my drivers license, but I don’t have the desire to leave home and go to college, at least not yet. High school can be a great experience so I am not going to rush myself through it.
