Being a couple years into college, I have learned to expect the unexpected, to say the least. You see things in these four years that you cannot un-see. You learn the ins and outs of campus and you start to get used to the ways your colleagues act in any environment given. High school is in no way comparable to college, from the campus to the people. But maybe, in some ways, they are the same.
I hated high school so much that it made college look like heaven or even higher. I had expectations of people and professors, and even homework. I cannot stress enough after learning in my first year that you can't come into a campus with expectations.
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1. People mature from high school to college.
HA! I wish I never thought this. A summer does not change people. Going from your big and bad senior year graduation gives you a big head. News flash! You are going straight to a freshman again in three months. But some freshman keep this mentality of being the big bad boss on campus. You still get those people who never show up to class, or the people who talk back to professors. The immaturity doesn't go away.
2. You'll find love on campus.
As a Freshman, I honestly thought I would find a nice guy who would walk me to class and eat lunch with me. Yes, I have found a wonderful man, but yes it was all luck on finding such a love that I can't even explain to gush about. Going to frat parties and sport houses is not a spot to find a man. You get to experience a boy going from one girl to another in their bed in just a matter of two days, how lucky are you? I couldn't even count the amount of times I've had a door slammed in my face by a guy, oh how the chivalry is dead. Most, I am not saying all, boys on campus want one thing, and if they do want more, congratulations you have found a rare and mature man on campus.
3. The curriculum is only a step up.
I cannot stress on how much more difficult your course work is. Sure, your easiest classes come your Freshman year, but after that it goes downhill real quick. The amount of times I have broke down crying from a simple homework assignment is uncanny. I would finish work assignments in two hours tops during high school, but there is a reason why they give you a couple of days until something is turned in for a class in college. Sure, you can only have a max of 6 classes at a time, but these six classes pile your desk up in seconds.
4. Friendships get closer.
Wrong. I still have had so called friends in my freshman year that now hate me in my junior year for some unknown reason. Boys don't change, so why should girls? Yes, you make the occasional best friend or two, but if they get sucked into a group of "cooler" people, you will be in their rearview mirror as quick as a dead rabbit. What's even worse is you still see these so called friends all around campus, yay you!
5. Freshman 15 is a myth.
My big booty would love to argue with that. In your dorm, all you eat is ramen, heated up mashed potatoes, or snacks. The campus food makes you blow chunks from both ends, so you end up on your dorm floor smashes anything edible in your mouth most of the time. Yes, you do in fact pay $400 for the campus gym, but no you don't think about that being drown in homework and keeping up with your weekly show watching with your roommate.
6. Group projects stop.
I have never been in as many group projects through my high school career compared to my Freshman year. For some stupid reason, professors still don't get that the work is not even disturbed in groups. Yes, we are all college students, but no not everyone appreciates why they are in that classroom. Even in high school, there was always that one person sitting on their phone taking credit for your work. If you tell your professor, you look like a brat who is tattle tale, but if you let it go, your high grade is cheated by sharing it with some lazy jerk.
7. Parties aren't that big.
Every night. Every night there is a party somewhere, somehow. At first, you are afraid to go experience a college party, but once you do it's a new world. It's just like the movies: obnoxious grinding, some weird drugs you’re afraid to even look at being passed around, that disgusting couple in the corner who clearly can't keep to themselves. If you have only been to high school parties, please try to keep up at a college party, and please check your drink for anything sketchy. Better yet, bring your own drinks to parties, not everyone is as nice as you.
8. Family can wait; I am an independent now.
Let me know how being independent feels after your first week. Or when you get too sick to move. Your mom won't be there to take care of you, and your siblings won't be there to pick on you or to go places with. You will soon cherish the weekly phone call with your family. If you don't have a weekly phone call, I give you a month being at college until you have one.
9. Roommates are so fun and easy, it's like a forever sleepover.
At one point, your roommate(s) are going to hate each other. Why you ask? Because someone isn't going to like the "cleanliness" of the other or god forbid you run out of room in the refrigerator. If you are lucky enough to have a washer in your apartment/dorm, it will be death if you leave your clothes in the dryer for over 10 minutes. And if someone folds the others clothes without asking, rest in peace. Please be sure to make some type of rules or ground rules before the first week, especially if you like living.
10. C's get degrees.
Do you realize how important your GPA is to future employers, or even on your FAFSA? One C can take your GPA down to the ground. Maybe a C is as high as you’re going to get in a class, but every class? It will kill your confidence. Sure, you will get through your four years, but your GPA won't look enticing. If you choose this route, I hope you choose to be in every club to make up for the appearance of your resume.
I love college, so much more than high school. But coming into a campus isn't going to be easy. People are going to be just as nasty as they were in high school. Sure, it's a fresh start, but there will still be bumps in the road everywhere you turn. What I can promise you is that you will make it through these four years. If you though high school was fun, college is going to be a whirlwind.
