My first year of college is coming to an end, and before I came here, I read article after article on some variant of "Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Came to College." Throughout the year, I've found myself having to unlearn many rumors and misconceptions that I was told before I came to university. There are things you'll wish someone had told you, but there are also (too many) things that you should never have heard or believed.

1. "College is the best four years of your life."

What people don't tell you is how much you'll suddenly miss all of the things at home that you once took for granted or didn't even like. I spent so much time being angry at myself for not constantly enjoying the first of the four best years of my life! There's no such thing as a perfect year or four years, and college doesn't have to be the peak. Spending a day unhappy doesn't mean I'm wasting my life away.

2. "You'll be going out every night."

Maybe this is true for some people, but I spend so many nights studying, practicing or attending some extracurricular event. On nights where I had nothing to do, I felt like I was somehow inadequate for not being invited out all the time... until I realized that's just not a life most people get to have, and that's okay.

3. "Dorm life is glamorous and adorable."

This one may be my fault for all of the hours I spent browsing through Dorm boards on Pinterest. The truth is, fire safety rules make many of these decorations impossible, and instead of learning DIY ways to paint my walls, I learned DIY solutions to opening cans and getting things that are hard to reach. Instead of improving my skills with using glitter and glue guns, I perfected the techniques of timing my laundry, minimizing trash removal time, finding the cleanest community shower and cleaning my room.

4. "It doesn't matter if you skip class."

So many people told me that they never had to attend class and sometimes only showed up for their midterms and final exams. Maybe that's true for some schools, but not for mine and not for many others. My professors are so strict with their attendance policies. For most classes, every class that I don't attend after the first unexcused absence lowers my grade in that class by one letter grade. Also, you cover so much in each class that if you skip one (or two, or three...) classes, good luck...

5. "Don't take 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. classes."

It's a struggle, but it's not that bad. Some days, I can't believe that I ever made it to high school at 7:30 a.m. every morning when I can never show up to my 8 a.m. classes without exhaustion and the need for a long, long cry (and nap), but it's also improved my self-discipline. If I hadn't been required to take 8 a.m. classes every day for two semesters, I would have spent that time sleeping and wasting time. Forcing myself to get up this early increased my productivity and gave me some beautiful bonding moments with my classmates as we cried about our early classes together. Most jobs we end up with out of college will start early in the day, anyway; we might as well be ready for that now.

6. "Everyone drinks every night. It's just a part of college life."

Actually, you're not uncool if you choose not to drink (or drink all of the time). The percentages of people who drink in college are much lower than what most people think, and it's a common misconception that puts pressure on some people to drink before they're ready or more than they can handle. That being said, alcoholism is very real and if you have a friend who's struggling with it, don't dismiss it just because you've heard this harmful misconception.

7. "College students are lazy."

Self-fulfilling prophecies happen, but most likely, it's just an annoying thing to hear that gets proven wrong almost immediately. I was so inspired by the people I saw around me when I got here. College students have big dreams and high ambitions and the passion needed to get them there. They're willing to put in the time and effort and many of them will just go for what they want. The people I met have new perspectives and creative ideas that I would have never thought of before coming here. (Most) college students are anything but lazy and just being here continues to motivate me.

8. "You have so much free time."

If you actually don't go to class or do your work, sure. I filled up my schedule with the required classes for my major and the university requirements that I could do, joined a few extracurriculars, and ran right out of time. Even though I only have three to six classes per day, I need the rest of that time to study, prepare, practice, attend meetings and somehow fit in the day-to-day life things that come with living away from home. Speaking of which...

9. "College classes are easier than high school classes."

I have no idea where this came from. Some high school classes can be difficult, but so much more is expected from college professors. In high school, you generally get pretty specific instructions and criteria to fulfill; once you get to college, you're expected to do many things by yourself but somehow do them right without instructions. There will be the occasional easy, leisurely class, but there are also many, many classes that will push you to do more than you've ever done in a high school class.

10. "You have to live on ramen."

Please don't. This one is 10% true: I have several cups of ramen in my room for the days where I just have to eat and no dining hall is open. Most people I know, though, actually use the dining halls and money to buy groceries or microwaveable food. Food costs can add up if I eat out often, but I just learned to find other ways to acquire somewhat healthier food around the same prices like yogurt, oatmeal and cereal if the dining hall just wasn't working for me. I love ramen, but I'm glad that it's actually not my only option and that it doesn't have to be.

11. "College is the time to experiment. YOLO!"

Being in college doesn't make me any more invincible or less susceptible to harm. I don't want to use this time to test how many reckless things I can juggle at once, how heroin can make me feel, or how much alcohol I can drink before I black out. It's true that you only live once, so I'm going to actually live the life that I've been blessed with.