We all know senior year of high school is more about preparing for college than it is about finishing high school. After all of the college tours, college fairs and brochures, most seniors feel that they have a pretty good idea of what is in store for them the following fall. It does not take long after arriving at college that they realize just how clueless they were and become aware of these five misconceptions:

1. It will be like high school, but with more work.

The truth is, they are nothing alike. Unlike high school, in college, your peers do not care what you do on the weekend or after class. No one is concerned with who you went out with last night or will hold it against you if you do something embarrassing in the cafeteria, or shall I say “dining hall?” People are preoccupied figuring out their future and less worried about what you are doing, as entertaining as your life may be.

2. Everyone has their own clique.

While people tend to still have a group of good friends, cliques no longer exist in college. The idea that you are committing the ultimate betrayal to your best friends if you go to lunch with someone else is one of those immature notions that goes away with age. People make new friends all the time: in class, clubs, the gym, sports, even at work, believe it or not. The more the merrier, right?! All these new friends also mean no more lonely Friday nights!

3. It is impossible to have good grades and have fun.

No, you probably will not have a 4.0 if you go to the bar every night and sleep until noon. But going out a couple nights a week and blowing off some steam with your friends will not lead to you flunking out. You are supposed to enjoy your college years after all! One of the inevitable lessons college will teach you is the importance of time management. The rule of thumb professors love to tell at the beginning of every semester is that for every hour in class, you are expected to do three hours of work outside of class. This may sound drastic, but like they say, “Work hard, play hard."

4. Being free from the rules you had at home will be exactly as you dreamed it would be.

The truth is, what most of us did not realize when we were dreaming about losing our curfew and never being nagged to clean our rooms, was that with freedom comes responsibility. Now that I say it, I may vaguely remember my parents warning me about this, but I, of course, was not fully listening. Yes, you no longer have to be home by a certain time or call your mom and tell her where you are, but she is no longer there to make sure you get up on time for your 8 a.m. class and make you breakfast. As much as we would love it to be, college is unfortunately not all fun and games.

5. The dreaded ‘freshman fifteen” is inevitable.

The reason this frightening myth is so well known is because anyone who has gone to college knows how much easier it is to make an easy-mac or hot pocket than make a meal with actual nutrients. Same is said for how easy it is to walk by the salad bar on your way to the chicken nuggets. The alcohol and midnight munchies do not help either. How do we avoid the extra pounds? Find the gym, go to the gym, try not to stock your snack stash with chips and candy and always drink a lot of water!