It’s hard to believe the local schools are already back in session. Colleges will begin soon, and that means it’s time to load up the cars and move my son back to Starkville.

This will be his first year in an apartment and he is excited about the autonomy it will provide. Whether or not he will become a master chef or discover the trick for a sparkling clean bathroom is yet to be determined.

Last year, my son lived in a dorm room. Unsure what to expect, and wanting to prepare him as adequately as I could, I looked for resources online. I was pleased to find the university provided blueprints with the exact measurements of everything from the size of the room and windows to the height, width and length of the beds. I meticulously studied the layout in the months leading up to move-in time, planning storage options and shopping for bedding to fit an XL twin mattress.

Before school started, my son’s roommate’s mother and I corresponded about what the boys would need for their room. We coordinated supplies for the bathroom and fridge areas. I even monogrammed my son’s towels and sheets so no one else at the laundromat would claim them.

I began scanning Instagram for ideas for room décor (as if my son really cared about that), and was inspired and mystified by something called “Dorm Rooms of Mississippi.” These rooms — mostly for girls — turned the dorm room into an unrecognizable version of luxury accommodations. For some reason, this over-the-top décor is unique to Mississippi. Bewildered people from all over the United States view and admire the transformations.

Complete with decorative wallpaper, plush rugs and trendy furniture, I had a hard time seeing the original version of the room.

The girls always have matching bedding, but they may switch up the throw pillows as an expression of individuality. The rooms are color-coordinated, and curtains, couches and coffee tables are the norm. One room featured matching designer throws across each bed, which someone told me cost upward of $1,000 apiece, if they were authentic.

There are interior designers who specialize in decorating dorm rooms, just in case parents don’t have the time or talent to adequately do so themselves.

We’ve come a long way from my dorm room of years ago.

My first dorm room in Louisiana didn’t even have air conditioning. Vanilla-colored cinder block walls enclosed a room with a bunk bed and a tiny sink to accommodate three girls. We had small wardrobes with drawers to hold our clothing and toilets and showers were down the hall.

A month later, we moved across the lawn into a newly renovated dorm with air conditioning and modern facilities. However, it still had cinder block walls and we still had to walk down the hall to centrally located bathrooms.

My parents begrudgingly bought me new bedding from the local discount store for my dorm room, but only because we didn’t already have twin-sized bedding at home. They didn’t fret over who my roommates would be (strangers, because no other girls from my school were going to this particular university). They didn’t care what size the room was. They didn’t stay and make my bed and hang décor on the walls. They didn’t complain loudly to administrators about the suffering we would surely encounter due to the lack of air conditioning.

At least I didn’t have to hitchhike to college, like my father-in-law did when he attended Mississippi State University. But that’s a story for another time.

My parents had no clue what I did during my first quarter of school. We didn’t communicate, except by the occasional call (and collect calls were expensive, so there wasn’t much of that), and the even rarer letter. My parents lived about 45 minutes away, but my mom didn’t pop over for lunch and my dad had no idea who I was dating.

And I loved it. I thrived in my newly found independence. I didn’t care that my bedding was mismatched and I had to get up before 6 a.m. if I wanted to find an open shower stall and bathe before an 8 a.m. class. I adapted to my stranger-roommates, and one became a lifelong friend.

I embraced all things “college” and remember it as the best time of my life. Would it have been better with plush décor and hand-picked roommates? I don’t think so.

What makes college such a special, life-changing time are the people you meet, the things you learn about in class, the professors who influence you and the life lessons that all of those things teach. It’s about finding independence and making your own decisions. It’s about learning to balance fun and responsibility. It’s about preparing for a big, wide world and finding your place in it.

Ultimately, there are some things about college that never change.

Sally Green is a reporter for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at sally.green@vicksburgpost.com.