Now that all of the chaos of opening week is over and parents have gone on their way, the reality is starting to set in for all of the new faces on SMU’s campus. Here is a non-comprehensive list of things the Class of 2019 will be learning over the upcoming days and weeks.

Laundry doesn’t clean itself.

If you’re anything like me, laundry at home was a pretty easy deal. You just set it down wherever you were told and within a day or two it just magically appeared in your dresser. Now that you’re at college, things are different – that is if you don’t have Mustang Laundry. If you do then it’s pretty much the same deal. But for all the first years who do not, getting used to the laundry room will be an adventure at times, a journey that may occasionally involve running out of clothes or finding that someone rudely put your clothes in the lost and found.

Dining hall experiences.

Dining hall food is not your mom’s cooking, nor is it a gourmet experience. While the staff at Umph and Arnold are as friendly as can be and I know they work extremely hard, dining hall food just does not quite match home cooking. There will certainly be days when you cannot find anything good to eat or are sick of having the same sandwich, salad or grilled chicken for the 100th time. But that’s nothing that a fresh Umph cookie won’t fix, it’s all just part of the “college experience.”

Nearly complete freedom in schedules.

You don’t have to go to class. Yes I know some professors take attendance, but for the most part they could care less whether you show up or not. This is a newfound freedom that is not available in high school and one that will take some getting used to. I personally highly suggest going to class. You are technically here to learn after all, but you will certainly hear other advice elsewhere. This class freedom, coupled with even greater options in clubs and social activities, means that there are numerous opportunities that SMU students have to balance – finding that balance can take all of freshman year and beyond to master.

Roommate run-ins happen

I think there is about a 100 percent chance that you and your roommate will have at least one awkward encounter this year. Whether it is alcohol-related, significant-other-related or something altogether more strange (ask around, the weirdest stuff happens), something is bound to happen between the two of you. That is part of sharing a room with someone, and I think that learning how to deal with it is a part of growing up. If things do get weird or exceedingly unbearable, don’t forget that your RA is there to talk to and is trained to help in these situations. But hopefully it does not come to that.

While this is by no means a comprehensive list, the first-years will be learning these and many more life lessons as the fall semester continues.