I'm the youngest of four children, so by the time I arrived at my college campus, I assumed through my siblings' stories I knew pretty much everything I was about to get myself into. Even if my siblings left out some of the finer details, I've seen plenty of movies and T.V. shows about college that could fill in the gaps. Surely, I knew exactly what to expect upon my first day of classes, right? Oh, how quickly I realized I was wrong.
1. You don't need to have a perfect Instagram-worthy #OOTD (Outfit of The Day) everyday.
Expectations: Coming from years of schools where my amazing fashion sense was stifled by a uniform, now is my time to finally wear all of those super cute clothes I bought. I'm going to get up an hour or two before class every morning to straighten my hair and choose the perfect outfit.
Reality: Most days I feel pretty accomplished if I managed to get a shower in before class. After several minutes of dealing with my curly mess of hair, I'm in such a rush to not be late that I wear the same outfit I wore two days ago. While some days my outfit is on point, I'm just as happy (and usually more comfortable) in a pair of workout shorts and a sweatshirt.
2. Upperclassmen don't care that you're a freshman.
Expectations: The second I step into class they'll know. All of the upperclassmen will single me out as a freshman. I'm going to have to sit in the very corner of the classroom and never say anything because I'm the youngest one here. God forbid there be a project and one of them is stuck with me. They're going to immediately resent me for the fact that they couldn't just be paired with their best friend.
Reality: So maybe they could tell I was a freshman on the first day of class due to my terrified expression when trying to choose a seat, but now they don't even bat an eye. No one cares whether you are a freshman or a senior, we all are just trying to make it through our 9a.m. and secretly hoping the professor will let us out early.
3. You will call your parents (mom) a lot more than you originally expected to.
Expectations: Being 6.5 hours away from my parents, I'll be totally on my own. Grown-up things like doing laundry and grocery shopping make me super independent. Clearly, now that I am "adulting," I'll probably only call my parents every few weeks, mainly just to hear about the dogs.
Reality: If I'm not calling my parents everyday, I'm likely texting them in between classes. The distance between MN and MO have not stopped me from sharing every good test or lacrosse practice I have. Now that I'm quickly realizing I don't know the first thing about semi-living on my own, my mom has become my go to phone-a-friend life line in all matters. Can bras go in the dryer? Do Sophie and Beano (my dogs) miss me? You're not just saying that, right? They do actually miss me?
4. Only some college professors are as scary as T.V. leads you to believe.
Expectations: Professors are extremely arrogant and don't want to be bothered to explain basic level biology to you. In fact, maybe don't ask any questions because professors will get angry at you for stopping them mid-lecture. Any time you answer in class, you must have an extremely well thought-out, perfectly worded response, otherwise your professor will think you are not eloquent. Don't expect to receive help from any of your professors. To them, you are just another student, in a classroom full of kids.
Reality: Professors truly do want you to succeed in your class. This thing they keep referring to,"office hours," is their time to help you understand their subject better. Not only will office hours help you do better in their class, but it's a chance to get more familiar with them. So far, every single professor of mine has already bothered to learn my name and those of my fellow classmates.
5. The "Freshman 15" is a very real thing, but it can be combatted.
Expectations: I mean, I've heard everyone talk about the Freshman 15, but its not going to happen to me. I know I'll workout everyday and eat really well. Only salads and grilled chicken for me. While everyone is eating cookies, burgers, and fries I'll be munching on celery and going on five mile runs.
Expectations: Okay, so I know high school never turned out to be the way the Disney movies of my childhood lead to believe it would be. But a small part of me still held out hope that maybe once I got to college we would finally have large-scale choreographed dance numbers. Alas, the first month is not proving too hopeful. Still waiting for the Troy Bolton to my Gabriella, by the way.
Reality: Anytime I try to sing Broadway show tunes in the dining hall, I get lots of odd looks. I guess not everyone feels the applicability of Wicked songs in their daily life the way I do.
