Here are the ten things that still confuse me to this day about college:
1. Class Starting Time
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First of all, why are classes set at the weirdest times ever? Apart from pretty much the first class of our school day which starts way too early in my personal opinion, classes meet at times like 9:55 in the morning or 2:25 in the afternoon. Let’s be honest, students are more likely to remember 10 o’clock instead of 9:55. Chances are you and I probably already show up at either 10 or 2:30 anyways! I asked a few friends what time their classes are and they all rounded the times to the nearest hour or half hour.
2. Buying Our Own Textbooks
Not having free textbooks seriously confuses me. Just why? We didn’t need to pay in elementary school. We didn’t need to do it back in middle school. We didn’t need to do it back in high school. What makes it different for college? Sometimes I actually wonder if the real reason why colleges wants us to buy our textbooks is so that it will actually make us feel guilty for not reading it if we’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on it. But come on, we’re college students; we love online shopping and looking for cheap deals from Amazon.
3. Chalkboards
The gif made you cringe didn't it? It’s not so much confusing but just kind of old fashioned to be using a chalkboard in the 21st century isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, I quite love the black and white contrast that comes from writing on a chalkboard. However, it begs the question why don’t we use chalkboards in high school too and why don’t we just use whiteboards in college. Here, some people might say, a white board marker on a white board just doesn’t show up as well as a chalk would on a blackboard. That’s a totally reasonable argument. Preach. Yes. But what about those smart boards that are currently used in my middle school in Oklahoma. Trust me when I say there was almost no reason for my middle school to have a smart board, but plenty of reasons for my college professor to use one instead of switching painfully between chalk boards and projector screens three times per lecture. (Note: I am still extremely gratefully to my middle school for having smart boards.)
4. Stairs VS. Elevators
Let’s face it. College students are lazy. In fact, we are some of the most inventive students in terms of creating new ways to be as lazy as possible. But one thing that just dumbfounds me is the fact that when there are elevators in a building, most of us still use the stairs instead. It’s not like we’ll be much fitter climbing the staircase to class. It’s not like you’re actually saving that much time. And it’s not like people think you’re lazy if you use the elevator. Only if there’s a fire would you want to use the elevator but that’s the only time you actually aren’t allowed to.
5. Carpet in College Dorms
Carpets are just gross. Most of us rarely vacuum over it. Alcohol spills all over it. It’s just really hard to maintain.It doesn’t even take a lot of imagination to visualize all the stuff that’s happened on your carpet. All you have to do is think of the fact that hundreds of sweaty feet have once walked on that same surface that you’re probably on top of to do your homework. Tiles or wood, they just seem so much nicer, cleaner and harder to spoil. If someone prefers carpet, they can always buy a rug if they really have to.
6. Swim Tests
Many colleges like to implement a swim test where we as students have to be able to swim from one side of the pool to the other side in order to graduate. See, I just don’t quite get it. I know for Harvard, it is to honor the wish of a mother who lost a son from drowning but what about other schools? Do we have the same story? If so, it’s a pretty important detail that I want to know about. If not, why is it a requirement to be able to swim by the time you graduate? Is it actually to teach us a survival skill? Because trust me, half of us are not going to out swim a shark with the way we awkwardly paddle in our tight swimming trunks. If the school wants us to be able to survive in the real world…why not learn to build a fire, or learn to cook. The latter option even has the added bonus of helping you in your possible love life. If it is not for survival, is it for the school’s reputation (the logic goes like: yeah all my college’s students can swim and so it is not embarrassing)? But the weird thing is, I don’t plan on swimming one day with my boss or future clients or colleagues. See, but isn’t golf the real swimming we need in that case then? Is it even necessary at all?
7. Dating
Dating in college is way more complicated than I imagined. See, I always thought dating in college is all about being natural and let your hormones or charm do what it needs to do. Things just naturally fall in place. What I didn’t expect was that dating in college is honestly more like a job interview. You actually have to practice and sometimes it honestly takes raw skills. You have to research on this person slightly. You have to seem confident in front of the person you like. You have to dress appropriately to get his or her attention. You need to use the right words without coming off as too aggressive. You think messaging them over and over is a good move until you realize yes, you are indeed very desperate. If the opportunity actually opens up, you suddenly realize you have no time for friends, exercise and sleep, though that last part is for a different reason.
8. How Students Think About Financial Aid
In many ways, College financial aid is like a box of condoms. College students need them. Some packaging looks nice; some are ugly. Someone over the front desk or counter tries to be friendly when you talk to them about the subject but you know he or she would honestly prefer not to. They’re both kind of a taboo subject. Yet, at the same time, we wonder about the size of other people’s packages. Most of us need it and intend to have it. And most importantly, it kind of saves your a**.
9. Condoms VS. Printing
You know we all think it. College is probably the only place where condoms are free but printing isn't. I just don't get it.
10. Knowing What You Want to do after College
It's true. We still have no idea what we want to do after college. We think we know but we really don't. All the different options and majors in college just make you more confused about all the different jobs out there that are available. We all technically want to stay in college forever, but no one wants to be the ancient guy on campus and no one wants to spend another few thousand dollars on the education. Our classes really don't prepare us for exactly what we will be doing in the future since most places will have to train us anyways. But hey, no worries, at least making it out of college is an achievement in itself!
