Let’s face it, college is hard.
You’ll have days where things go smoothly, and other days, you’ll feel like everything that could go wrong has done so. Some days, you need a little encouragement, and if you can’t get that, you turn to false hope - even if you have to give those statements to yourself. You’ll probably convince yourself that they’re truthful, and not at all crazy, wrong, or unrealistic.
Here are a few of the lies that I have told myself during my time as an undergrad, as well as some provided by my friends, as you’ll see in the credit that I’ve given them.
1. "I'm not tired enough to go to bed early." / "I don't need to go to bed at a reasonable time."
When your friends ask you to hang out, sometimes you'll want to say yes, and then make the choice to say yes while you know the right answer would be no. Sleep more. You'll thank me later. Maybe.
2. "That's the last shot for tonight."
Okay, this is not quite a daily one, but at least weekly or bi-weekly, especially when you need a little liquid confidence and motivation to write a term paper. Yes, that's right, while writing a paper, sometimes a shot is the little boost to make the thoughts and words flow.
3. "It's warm enough to walk to class without a coat."
Ha, good one. You know if your mom were there, she'd tell you to wear one. Carry it with you just in case. When you're sick for a week starting the next day, you'll regret your decision.
4. “I’ll get a job after college” - Jenny
You may get one right away or you might not. But telling yourself that you will for sure, 100% get one that you love right away only sets yourself up to be disappointed.
5. "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it."
Famous last words, smart one. Yes, we've all done this in our lives... probably too many times to count, and continue to do so, even after we forget things because of it. We like to think we're better than we are at life. Here's hoping we'll improve in the future. But probably not.
6. “I’ll wake up for an 8 AM" - Grace
Luckily, I knew that I never would be able to, because I love sleep. I avoided 8 AM's like the plague, and only had to take one in my entire four years because of a conflict with another class. I skipped more than I should have, but the graded attendance policy kept me at least a little bit in check.
7. "I'll get a head start on that essay" - Aubrey
Coming from the English major who would wait until the last minute to write a paper, I’ve told myself this lie so many times without a follow-through.
8. "I'll catch up on the reading this weekend." - Emily B.
This one is so real. Try to keep up with reading and studying. Start right after you get out of class if you can. It helps. Waiting until 6 PM on Sunday does not. I’m speaking from experience.
9. "I don't need to study for this test."
Don’t. Just don’t lie to yourself this badly. You always need to study and review your notes, even if just for a little while.
10. “It’s just a quiz, I will be fine.” - Tien
When you tell yourself that you don’t need to study or prepare, you really are just setting yourself up for failure. All opportunities to get points are worth putting in effort for. Do it.
11. "I'll get up early tomorrow to study more for this exam." - Cat
You’ll never do it. You’ll snooze your alarm until you have just enough time to get ready to go to class. I might know firsthand.
12. “I don’t need a planner, I have a great memory!” - Emily S.
This never goes away, even after graduation. You still end up forgetting things. *Always* write it down, whether in a planner or an online calendar.
13. “I only need to study an hour, I’ll be alright!” -Livie
When you limit yourself, you limit the amount of knowledge you’ll retain for the exam. Please study for as long as it takes to review the material you’ll be tested on. It’s a much smarter idea.
14. “This is student thought, but I think it will apply: ‘Maybe I’ll do a research project about that!’” -Regan
Too true. Even as a graduate, I still find myself saying that I will write about certain things, even promising myself to eventually write an essay here and there about various topics I come across. But time is limited, and half the time I don’t have the energy or mental focus to do so when I get home from my full time job.
15. "Pizza is an adequate breakfast."-Cayleigh
I’m kind of on the fence about this one. On the one hand, I love pizza. I’d have it every day if I could and it wasn’t so bad for you. But then again, pizza for breakfast really isn’t the best option for breakfast. So it really kind of is a lie to tell yourself that it’s a good choice.
16. "Life will be easier once I graduate" -Kate
It never gets easier. Believe me. Don’t wait for something that is never going to happen.
17. "I will get all my cleaning and shopping done so I will have a clear mind to do homework... [A] few hours later I will feel more like studying tomorrow." - Tammy
This, my friends, is what my college roommate, Hayley, and I call “procrasti-cleaning.” Pretty self-explanatory - cleaning to avoid anything other than what you want / need to clean.
18. Roommate on a Tuesday night: “you should come out partying with us tonight!”
Me: “I really need to finish this assignment that’s due tomorrow though.”
Roommate: “Just finish it in the morning before your class.”
Me: “Ok, yeah! Great idea!”
-Renee
Don’t party instead of studying. You can have fun, but keep up with homework and get adequate sleep. At least try.
19. “I’ll just take a quick nap, half hour tops, then I’ll work on that paper” -Anna
*4 hours later* Wow, it’s bedtime, guess I’ll start tomorrow! It’s an endless cycle of procrastination until the very last minute, and you’ll be stressed out. Don’t do that to yourself.
20. “Workout for my 6 AM alarm set!”
*6am alarm goes off*
21. “I’ll get to the gym by 6:30, it’ll take me 5 minutes to get ready, so I can sleep through another snooze.”
*4 snoozes later*
“I’ll start fresh tomorrow.”
-Anna
Workout? Who wants to do that? Ugh. Real talk, no one really does. But it’s good for you, so try to get workouts in once in a while, if you’re not on a sports team or a workout fanatic, both groups of which I have never completely understood. Props to both, though, for dedication.
22. “I’ll just do all the problems right before the exam and that’ll be my studying.” -Kay
Again, giving yourself the short straw. Review everything and study for an hour or two.
23. "It will be okay." -Carolyn
This one is a lie that hits hard for me. I’d always tell myself that, but something else would always pop up and change things, adding to stress. It doesn’t end when you graduate either. It might be okay eventually, but life will never be a walk in the park. There will always be something to challenge you, don't worry.
Me: “[I’m going to] start studying.” Also me: “Ooh look, Netflix.” -Jenn
Self-explanatory. It’s an obsession.
Here’s hoping you make it through the avoidance of homework, excessive sleeping, occasional partying, lack of workouts, poor food choices, and any other lies you tell yourself while enrolled in undergraduate classes. Good luck, you’re probably going to need it. And that’s not a lie.
