College is one of the most hectic, stressful, and fun times in a person's life. Finally knowing you're not required to go to school anymore is a great feeling and often times college is the next step to becoming the person you want to be. However, movies and tv have caused people's expectations for college to stray a little from the actual truth. Movies like 22 Jump Street, Pitch Perfect, and Neighbors portray college in a very stereotypical way: one that is not usually correct. I'm here to tell you five college stereotypes and misconceptions that are definitely not true.
1. College dorm rooms are the same size as a normal bedroom and are totally up to date.
Sorry to be the one to tell you, but dorms usually suck. They're small, much smaller than you would expect, and they're rarely updated. The dorm room that I stayed in had broken blinds that let in the sunlight, dirty vents that were questionably moldy, and AC that was always way too cold. While my room was nicer than some, since I had a bathroom included and a bedroom separated from the living area, it was still awful. While decorating helps, it's pretty unlikely that your room is going to look like the ones online.
2. You can skip class and be totally fine.
While it's not the end of the world to miss one or two classes, regular skipping is detrimental to your grade. Skipping too much can be the difference between an A and a C, even without a strict attendance policy. Unless you are an exceptional studier, going to class will help you substantially in the long run. It sucks, I know, but you'll wish you hadn't chosen that extra hour of sleep when finals week rolls around.
3. If you never needed to study to get an A in high school, you won't need to study in college either.
Please, for the love of all things good, do not go into college with that attitude. You will
drown in work if you do. Trust me, I was like that. I came into college with a good GPA, but classes get tougher and tougher as you progress; if you maintain the mindset that good grades will continue to fall into your lap, then you'll be severely lost and disappointed when they stop. While some majors are harder than others, it is never a bad idea to study before any assessment regardless of what it is.
The Office can wait another hour while you look over some calculus problems.
4. Joining a fraternity or sorority is just an excuse to party all the time.
Believe it or not, the movies depict sororities and fraternities very differently from how they are in real life. Sororities can't have alcohol on their properties at all, and many fraternities are going dry. Hazing has been cracked down upon so heavily that any mention of it in a chapter can get a house kicked off campus. Regardless of alcohol, Greek life does a substantial amount of good for the community as well. Often, chapters require volunteer work from their members, which provides places like retirement homes, food kitchens, and animal shelters with ample people to help. Additionally, all Greek chapters have philanthropy for which they raise several thousands of dollars each year.
5. There are a ton of hot men at the fraternity parties, and there's always a massive party whenever you want to go out.
Unfortunately, this is not true either. Don't get me wrong, some fraternities do throw some pretty fun parties, but they aren't nearly as frequent as you'd think. While most of the time you can find a party somewhere, there are weekends where everything is totally dead. Also, don't count on there being a ton of men at the fraternity parties. Often times the ratio of guys to girls is heavily skewed in the female direction, and it's not uncommon to go the whole party without talking to a guy. While it's not detrimental to go into college not knowing these things--and let's face it, reading one article isn't going to drastically change your perspective on college--it might come in helpful to have an understanding of what college really is before you embark on your journey.
