1. It's Depicted Differently on TV
Unless you lived under a rock during your pre-teen years, television
shows like "Saved by the Bell" and "A Different World" pretty much
shaped our understanding of what college would be like. I’ll be the
first to say that they were wrong for way too many reasons to name.
There’s not always a party to attend, issues between friends aren’t
always resolved, and life doesn’t magically fall into place by the end of an episode. We were given false hope.
2. Sleep Becomes Nonexistent
This one is simple and pretty much speaks for itself. It won’t
be long before middle of the night study sessions become a major part of life
for you. You haven’t had the true college experience until you’ve felt slightly
sleep deprived. I thought I’d always be well-rested with all the time in the
world, but I quickly realized that when sleep comes to you, you must take it.
Who knows when you’ll get another chance to lay down? It won’t be long before
you find yourself habitually skipping that 8:30 AM lecture. Planning your next
nap before you’ve even left your room will definitely become a thing.
3. The Diversity is Almost Scary
I can honestly say that I did not expect college to be as diverse and multicultural as it is. As an institution of higher learning, it is almost expected to bring together different types of people from various backgrounds. I encounter people on a daily basis that I never could’ve imagined coming across in my hometown, and I love that.
4. People Actually Don’t Have Their Lives Together
Coming into college, I had a general idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but I was still pretty unsure of things. I felt that I was behind and that people already had their lives together by now, but boy was I wrong. People will transfer schools, change their majors a handful of times and that’s OK! A degree is something to be completed at your own pace. College is a race, not a sprint, and graduation is the goal.
5. You’re Not As Smart As You Originally Thought
College has a way of telling apart the lazy from the studious and the deep thinkers from the shallow-minded. Once upon a time, I was a math genius. Nowadays, the word “function” actually makes my head hurt. You slowly begin to realize that you aren’t as smart as you thought. It may take a while to hit you, but once it sinks in your whole outlook on life is changed. We’re all used to skating by without really studying, but it won’t take long before we get receive a rude awakening. If nothing else gives you a reality check, then attempting to decipher Chemistry 2 or Calculus 3 definitely will.
6. Your “Friends” Aren’t Really Your Friends
Besides high school, college is often advertised as the place where lifelong friends and unbreakable bonds are made. What they don’t tell you is that you’ll probably have to go through as least three friend groups in order to find said friends. You would think that cattiness was a thing of the past, but some people live to prove you wrong. People will ditch you, talk about you and just stop talking to you altogether, but it’s all good. College is about growing, and you have to go through some stuff in order to grow through some stuff.
7. The Severity of the Freshman 15
Shockingly, the Freshman 15 is, perhaps, the realest thing about college. After a while, eating fast food for lunch and going out for dinner soon progresses into an everyday thing. The lack of sleep may play a part in it all, but it doesn’t take long before you begin to gain weight in a few of the wrong places. Sweats will become your outfit of choice, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that.
8. The Emotional Impact
This one could almost go hand in hand with #4. Everyone wants their college experience to be perfect with no issues along the horizon, but life can have other plans. The good grades that we aim for are sometimes not attained, our friend groups find themselves falling apart, and problems often make their way to our front door. All of these things can take their toll on any young adult, and once again, that is OK! College is not, I repeat, NOT a competition… just a pathway to potentially gaining success in all aspects of life.
