I left Blue Springs, Missouri for Orlando, Florida in August. Different state, different time zone (kind of), different climate, different everything. Three months in, here's what I wish someone had told me.
First: practice intensity is real. High school practice and D1 practice are different sports. Your coaches are going to push you in ways you didn't know existed. The first two weeks I came back to my dorm and slept for fourteen hours.
Second: the academic side is harder than people warn you. I'm an Education major and the workload is real. I read more in my first semester at UCF than I read in my last two years of high school combined. If you're an athlete coming in, start the homework on the bus. Don't wait until you're tired.
Third: homesickness shows up at weird times. Not the obvious moments. Not the goodbyes. It hits at random Tuesdays at 9pm when you're walking past the dining hall alone. Call your mom. Call your old coach. Call your friends who didn't make it out. They want to hear from you.
Fourth: your team becomes your family fast. The girls on UCF track are my people now. Different backgrounds, same commitment. We hold each other up. That's been the best part.
