Of course, college is very different for everyone, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who was been pleasantly (or maybe unpleasantly) surprised by many of the new things that I encountered when I first started this new journey. Of course, I've got a long way to go until I will be able to say that I've experienced that college has to offer, but I can say with certainty that much have what I've seen and done so far has not been what I expected. To make a long story short, college, at least for me, has definitely not been anything like what the movies and media depict it as. In fact, I've also seen many noticeable differences between what actual real life college students told me before I arrived on campus and what I have come to know throughout my experience of being one myself. Here are 5 myths that I have discovered about college and the life that surrounds it:
1. Everyone is mature, and college is not at all like high school.
Of course, it's definitely fair to say that college is different from high school, but I've found that the drama and immaturity of many people has not gone away whatsoever. I was never one to get involved in drama and immaturity (and I probably never will be), so I was wholeheartedly hoping that this would be true. However, according to the purposely clogged toilets and stolen clothes in my dorm building, as well as the various petty rants and arguments that I have heard throughout the corridors, the idea that everybody acts like adults in college is certainly a figment of one's imagination (I'm all for wishful thinking, though.)
2. You either work hard or play hard... You can't have both.
I don't remember who, but someone older than me once told me that when I went to school, I'd have to make the decision to either do well academically or have fun on campus, and that there was no in between. Personally, I've either broken down some long-standing barrier that no student has ever breeched before, or I have just found a nice balance that my older counterpart was not able to. (I bet the latter is the truth, but the former definitely makes me sound more heroic, so let's go with that.) That is, I have been able to work hard in order to play hard, rather than sacrificing either one for the other. I get my work done early without procrastinating, that way most weekends (and even some weeknights) are relaxing and open for my own leisure or time with friends.
3. You'll Never Want To Go Home.
This obviously doesn't apply to anyone who commutes to school on a daily basis and still lives in their childhood home, but it's no secret that many college students have gone on a journey far, far away from home in order to go to school. Surely I am just a mere freshman, but the idea that you'll go to school and never look back is one of the biggest lies that I have ever been told. Of course, things have come along pretty nicely since the extremely emotional first weeks of my first semester, but I don't think I will ever reach a point where I don't have days where all I wish for is the ability to teleport home, see my family and boyfriend, and sit on my couch with my pets.
4. Gaining the Freshman 15 is Inevitable.
I mean, in order it to be coined as a well-known term, I'm sure that it has happened to enough people. However, I must say that I am one of the lucky ones who has managed to avoid it thus far. In fact, I have lost weight since entering college. If you practice self control, stick to eating decently healthy, and maybe even hit the gym every once in a blue moon, you guessed it: This phenomenon is definitely more than avoidable.
5. It's Impossible To Form Relationships With Professors.
In the end, the moral of this story is, that when it comes to college or anything in life, you have to go out and experience it for yourself. It is simply irrational and impossible to form your opinion on something based on quick, verbal snapshots of other people's views and happenings. Go get 'em!
