Coming into freshman year, the only thing I knew going into college is what my parents told me. Small dorm rooms, terrible food, you know the gist. But what I didn't realize is the major difference in college in 1988 vs 2018. Personally, I feel like people in college in the 21st century have an advantage. We have the best technology, best teaching styles, and most importantly (well, at least at Alabama) some of the best food.
Being a college student in 2018 does have its advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.
My biggest concern going into college this year was the dorm situation. Everyone every year always complains about not having enough space, nasty bathrooms, bad washing machines, or having terrible roommates. The good thing about it is everyone has a different experience. Mine has been everything I could dream of. I have the suite style dorm (which my parents had never heard if).
The great thing about this style of living in college is the idea that I have my own room, two bathrooms between four people, and more space than I could imagine. The full-size closet, living room, and kitchen all to my three other roommates is something that is a necessity that makes freshman year in the 21st century complete. While there are many spaces on campus with the traditional dorm room, I feel like the suite style is one of the newer and most beneficial ways of living.
College food now is not the college food your parents ate. At most universities now, there are on-site fast-food restaurants like Chic-fil-A, McDonald's, or Subway. Even if you don't want fast food, there's still the option of various dining halls that serve amazing food. Way back in the day (not that long ago, but hey, I wasn't even born yet), most schools dining halls were only open during breakfast, lunch and dinner time.
SEE ALSO: To Our Dining Hall Staff, Thank You For Feeding Me And Thousands Of Others Every Day
There wasn't a large variety of food choices, so you had to live with what you good. Students now are spoiled, with the long hours of dining halls and the great chefs that work every day. Another drastic change with college food today is the food served in sorority and fraternity houses. The food there is the kind of food you would expect in a nice restaurant. It can't get much better than that.
The technological advances that we have now are insane. There are online classes and tests. Most everything that is done now has to be performed on a computer. Even your school ID card has everything you need on it: dorm key, football tickets, and money. We now have the ability to use our Apple Watches as a substitute for our student IDs...whoever came up with this idea was an actual genius. Technology now in college is so far beyond anything that anyone would have guessed. I'm so glad that people did what they did to get it this far because I could not imagine being here and not having a computer or my online classes.
Being a college student now is nothing compared to years past, or is nothing like how it will be in the future. We as students in the 21st century have a unique experience that only a few people will have. There have been many improvements to the college world that have made the experience worth it. 20 years from now, there will be so many more changes that we have no idea what's coming.
