I just finished my first semester of college. From gross dorms to near-impossible classes, here's what surprised me about college life.

• Before heading to college, I worried I would hate my dorm and that I wouldn't make any friends.
• Luckily, I made my small dorm room at the Univeristy of Michigan work and found food I loved.
• I also found friends easily, but classes were harder than expected.

After researching my freshman dorm using the incredibly reliable resource Reddit, I was slightly terrified to live in the Mary Markley building, which was built back in 1959 and is the oldest residence hall on the University of Michigan's campus.

Rumors of cockroaches, a lack of air conditioning, and the dreaded wind tunnel during the winter season increased my nerves tenfold.

After my parents had hugged me goodbye, it dawned on me that this was — as my roommate and I now like to call it — my home sweet dorm. I still don't understand how I managed to fit all my belongings in this tiny living space of 11 feet by 11 feet.

But, throughout my freshman year, I adjusted to my college life — and there were many surprises.

I slowly learned to make the best of my living situation

Community showers are quite disgusting, but romanticizing the horrible experience was my only viable option. Investing in a quality pair of shower shoes was a wise decision, specifically a design with holes so your shoes don't fill up with dirty water. Upon my arrival on campus, I received a staggering amount of Jibbitz, the little charms that stick into the holes of Crocs. My bright teal shower flip-flops are now adorned with multiple Michigan-themed Jibbitz, my theory being that if I must wear these in my bathroom, why shouldn't I be as stylish as possible?

Only my greatest obstacle remained: my lifelong struggle to find edible food. I'm a selective eater who doesn't appreciate the label of "picky." After scouring every inch of my dining hall in an effort not to starve, I found Mary Markley's greatest treasure: the build-your-own pizza station. I have fallen in love with buttering up the pizza dough, spreading around a tiny spoonful of red sauce, going overboard on the cheese, and topping it off with pepperoni and black olives.

With one semester under my belt, I am unable to debunk all rumors surrounding residence halls on college campuses, but there's always a silver lining. It just takes a little searching.

I had to embrace the absurd to make friends

My primary concern about college was finding a group of people who shared similar interests and passions as myself. I convinced myself that I would not find any friends. Little did I know that I would spend my first evenings and nights doing strange activities with people I hadn't even known for a day.

Less than an hour after I moved into my dorm, I received an invite to grab ice cream with a student organization. Looking back, the choice to tag along for dessert might have been the best decision I made my entire first semester because, on the very first night of college life, I found amazing friends. The adventures began soon afterward.

After sharing a highly personal fact about my favorite cereal, I found myself in the middle of a Meijer aisle, frantically searching for a box of cereal before the store closed. While passing a fountain in the early hours of the morning, my friends and I thought the only logical response was to jump in fully clothed.

To any incoming freshman who is afraid of new social interactions or finding their people, my best advice would be to embrace the crazy. I was surprised to learn that laughing your head off in the middle of the night will make one forget about their homesickness and the impending doom of an 8:30 a.m. class.

I learned a 'B' isn't the end of the world

I dreaded Math 115, a calculus course that my degree program required for graduation. Class attendance began to plummet as student after student dropped the class due to its difficulty and the long hours of work it entailed.

I'm pursuing a dual degree in business administration at the Ross School of Business and sports management through the School of Kinesiology. Originally a five-year program, I have little room for error when selecting classes as I hope to graduate within four years. Failing a class was not an option in my mind.

Right off the bat, I was faced with an extremely difficult challenge that I was convinced I wouldn't overcome. As a straight-A high school student who had quickly picked up new concepts, I struggled with the idea that I needed help and needed it badly.

After long hours spent in tutoring sessions, taking practice exam after practice exam, and many emotional phone calls with my father, I managed to squeak out a B-minus. My life did not, in fact, end after barely making it through a challenging class, and I surprised myself with perseverance and grit I wasn't aware I possessed.

And I surprised myself throughout my first semester. From my dorm room to my classes, I adapted quickly and (mostly) effortlessly.