There are many rumors and myths about college that spread like wildfire. We commonly hear of the “Freshman 15,” or the gross living quarters, but I am here to say that sometimes, rumors can be just that: rumors! While I know every college offers a different experience for their students, after experiencing college myself and talking to my peers, I have come to the conclusion that not all the scary things we hear about regarding college life are as bad as they seem. I have compiled the 6 top things that have surprised me throughout my short time in college in so far.

1. The communal bathrooms aren’t that bad.

The standard freshman lifestyle with the dorms and the communal bathrooms get a really bad reputation. I, surprisingly, have found that the rumor we all know about is actually not always the case. Of course I haven’t seen every dorm complex or communal bathroom in the world, but from the ones I have seen, they are maintained pretty well. People clean them almost every day and there’s always one sink or shower that is pretty spotless and ready to be used.

2. You don’t feel like a tiny, insignificant freshman.

When walking around on campus, nobody is going to point at you and say “Hey, freshman!” and throw pennies on you. No stranger walking around knows you or your story, and for all they know you’re an upperclassmen with a job waiting for you after graduation. Even when people know this is my first year, they are very welcoming and supportive and don’t look down on me as if I am inferior to them in knowledge and wisdom just because I am new at this whole “college thing.” As long as you stay confident and act like you have everything together, there will be no need to feel insecure.

3. You can avoid the Freshman 15.

Going into college, I was prepared to gain a solid 15 pounds, knowing my ability to walk away from an all-you-can-eat dessert tray is practically nonexistent. While there are plenty of ways to gain some pounds, there are always options to maintain your healthy weight. It is up to you to grab that apple instead of ice cream, that yogurt instead of pancakes, and that broccoli instead of french fries. Also, if you walk around campus like me, walking from one end of campus to the other several times a day really adds up and helps you exercise without even realizing it.

4. People are friendly and looking to meet new people all the time.

I was worried that many people would quickly find their friend groups and disregard everyone else, but this isn’t high school anymore. In reality, a large majority of people I have met, whether they have a lot of friends already or not, are willing and excited to meet new people and get to know them. These people have invited me to events and treated me as if I have known them for a much longer period of time.

5. Getting alone time is actually very possible.

I was always told that I’d never get another moment to myself once I moved away from my own room and into a college dorm room with my roommate. As long as your roommate understands that everyone needs some quiet time, you should be able to get in plenty of reflection time and napping, if that’s your thing. Also, it is quite unlikely you and your roommate would have all your classes together and be in all of the same clubs. With differing times for classes and activities, you should be able to find the time where the room is left to you alone.

6. 9 AMs are just as bad as 8 AMs.

When signing up for classes, I knew to avoid 8 AMs, but I ended up with 9 AMs all across the board for the week. I have always been an early riser and I have also learned to be able to perform at a high level on a less-than-average amount of sleep. I figured a 9 AM class, considering the close proximity to my dorm and that it was still a full hour later than the 8 AMs I could have taken, would be completely okay, especially because I was used to getting up much earlier in high school. Boy, was I wrong. For some reason, no matter how you functioned in high school, in college the nights get longer and you fall into the typical college student pattern of not wanting to take a step out of bed until at least 10 AM. It must be a college student curse or something.

Clearly, my worst fears going into college were just scary, yet common, thoughts put into my head. Don’t believe everything you hear until you can also experience it yourself. It is safe to say that, so far, college has exceeded my expectations in every aspect and I can’t wait to see what is in store in the coming months and years!