The summer between high school and college, I spent a lot of time wondering what it was truly like to live in a dorm on a university campus. I had heard plenty of rumors and watched a ton of movies about it, but none of it seemed particularly truthful. The transition into independence and dorm life was a strange one, and I quickly realized that nothing was as I thought it'd be. Here are just a few of the misconceptions that I had about college as a high schooler.
1. Class would be cancelled...all the time.
I would see college students tweeting about their classes getting cancelled and I admit I was excited. The fantasy of waking up, reading an email proclaiming "No class today!" and promptly going back to sleep was one that I had often. However, I'm now a month away from the end of freshman year and I have yet to have a professor cancel class (thanks guys). I still spend every day hoping class will get cancelled and every day I'm filled with disappointment when there's no golden email in my inbox.
2. I would be able to sleep in until noon every day.
I realize now that this was a ridiculous expectation and, after waking up at 6 AM every weekday for 4 years, I should be grateful that I get to sleep until 8:30 AM. However, I really wanted to be able to roll out of bed at noon, go to some classes, and call it a day. Now, even on days that I don't have class until 2, I have to get up early to do homework because the grind never stops.
3. ...And I would be able to stay out until 1 or 2 AM every night.
Going along with the "sleeping until noon" train of thought, I truly believed that I would be out late every night and doing whatever there is to do at that time of night. In reality, I'm tired and ready for bed by 10 PM and, usually, the only thing keeping me up is homework.
4. There would be parties happening 24/7.
We've all seen the movies that portray college as one giant party, but it turns out that's not the case. I always conveniently forgot about how everyone is trying to earn a degree and has work to do. There's occasional parties on weekends but I've also learned that in between assignment due dates, I really just want to sleep.
5. Making friends would be insanely difficult.
Before college, I was convinced that everyone would be way too cool or way too smart to be talking to me; thankfully, it turns out that this was not the case at all. Still, moving hours away from home and basically starting over in a new city is intimidating. It also helps that 90% of UNCG's population is extremely nice and accepting.
