Sometimes things aren't what you might expect them to be. Don't get me wrong, I love my small, Christian, liberal arts college, but it is strikingly different from what I had expected it to be. Some of you may find yourself in the same boat as me or are in the same boat now.

While lot of people may find themselves having the Hollywood or news media version of the college experience, if you're like me, while going through freshman year, I found that the image I had in my head was vastly different from the reality of my school.

Here are some of the things that didn't happen:

1. PARTIES, PARTIES, PARTIES

Despite being "prepared" for being responsible at the party scene, I didn't use any of this knowledge because technically parties aren't allowed at my school. If you get caught, you can potentially be kicked out of your program. Now, I'm not naive enough to say that they don't happen, but parties are very low-key at my school. A lot of people go to other schools or off-campus, so I haven't been invited or attended any.

I'm not mad about this, but it's kind of ironic that this is seen as a huge part of college life, and I haven't experienced it.

2. The Professors are SCARY And UNAPPROACHABLE.

Another college stereotype is either that professors are either frightening or hard to access, but at least for me, neither of these are true. Because I go to a small school, we tend to have the same professors throughout the four years of university. Even professors who were tough or taught classes that were challenging to me, they were still available for help or guidance. At least all of the professors I've had have been friendly.

I was able to go up to some of my teacher's desks during tests and ask questions if I needed to, which isn't something I expected to be able to do.

3. Your roommate will become your friend, and it will be a nightmare if you're not.

Truth be told, my roommate and I barely talked at all, but it wasn't a bad living situation. In fact, it worked out well because the room was quiet so I could study in there. It's not the end of the world that we were just civil towards each other.

4. Your faith will be challenged.

While Christian faith is often challenged whenever a person goes to college, my university is a lot more grounded in Christianity than I had expected. Granted, it is an openly Christian university and the chapel is the focal point of the school, but more so than I ever expected is how far-reaching the faith values are at my school. All of my professors have to be Christian, and despite having different viewpoints on the matter, Christ is still at the helm of my school. We have to write a paper about how our faith connects to our major to pass orientation class. We are not forced to participate in faith-based activities, but they are so intertwined in the atmosphere.

5. You're going to want to buy the book.

I at least assumed that I should buy every book not only because we would use every book but because I would want to mark up the books I did need. I found out that unless I could buy it for less money that I would pay renting, I'm much better off renting the book. It's different for everyone's study preferences, but for me since I don't write in books or highlight, renting the more expensive books is a lot more cost-effective.

6. Your study habits will stay the same.

I never used flashcards to study, but during my first semester, one of my professors said the best way to study for her test was to use flashcards. As it turns out, that is not the way I study for almost every class.

7. The dating world will open up to you.

Sometimes, going to college will open up the world of dang; sometimes it won't. In my case it didn't.

8. You won't be able to be involved.

There's no need to be afraid of trying new things, especially on such a small campus. I have been able to play on the tennis team, despite never playing tennis before. I am in the two choirs and was elected an officer. I am on the Activities Board and co-chair the Publicity team. I was in the Talent Competition and starred in a One-Act play. There are so many activities our there to be involved in and try. Just know your limit.

9. You will be dying with the amount of work you'll have to do.

While the workload is larger, it's not totally unmanageable. Granted I'm in a Humanities major so I acknowledge that as I go on it will get more substantial and that other majors are different, but if you stay proactive, put studying or work first (most of the time), you should be okay.

Even though it's annoying, try to do your work as soon as possible. It gives you more time to fit in more studying if you need to.