College is an experience unlike any other. There are moments when you think you have your life together and other moments when you’re sitting in your dorm wondering what in the world is going on. You go to college with all these big expectations, only to find out that at the end of the semester, you may have done half of them. Maybe. If you’re lucky. Here are a few “expectations vs. reality” that we all face our first semester of college.
1. Expectation; I'll eat healthy all the time and go to the gym every day. I want to be fit and healthy in college.
Reality; Walking to class counts as exercise, right? And those three pop tarts I ate today, they won't affect my weight, will it?
2. Expectation; I'm going to go to bed early every night because I don't want to fall asleep in class.
Reality; My bedtime during the semester ranged from 1 am to 3 am. There was no getting to bed early.
3. Expectation; I'm going to wake up early before all my classes and have a nice morning routine to get my day started. Then I'm going to dress cute and put on makeup for class.
Reality; I was lucky if I woke up in time for class without being rushed and having to get ready in 5 minutes.
4. Expectation; I'll never skip or be late for a class.
Reality; I think we all know how this one went, do I really need to go into details?
5. Expectation; I'll get my homework done on time so I'll never have to rush around and do it.
Reality; I can't even begin to count the times I've done my homework the night before or even an hour before I had that class.
6. Expectation; I'm going to get really good at saving money so that way I won't have to worry about it.
Reality; WRONG. So wrong. I thought I was broke in high school, but it is much worse in college.
7. Expectation; I'll have a ton of free time to do whatever I want.
Reality; Between my sorority, my jobs, and school, I barely have time to sit down sometimes. Somedays I feel like a whirlwind of different things I need to do, and by the time I get the chance to lay down, I remember that I had homework that night, too.
8. Expectation; I'll become independent and finally feel like an adult.
Reality; In all honesty, even though you are on your own, you still don't feel like an adult. I still call my mom to ask her questions like, "Do you wash whites in cold or hot water?" or "How do you jump a car?"
9. Expectation; Hopefully I'll find a cute boy during my freshman year.
Reality; Boys are still immature in college and going on dates takes too much effort. I'll stay single for awhile.
10. Expectation; I'm going to go out all the time and socialize and meet new people.
Reality; I have a committed relationship with my bed and Netflix, and I don't see it ending soon. Yes, sometimes it is fun to go and have fun with your friends, but you also need that quality time with yourself every once in awhile.
11. Expectation; I won't miss my family because they're only an hour away, and it will be great to get away from them.
Reality; Even though it's only an hour drive, I miss my family so much. I always get so excited when they come to see me. It makes the times we spend together much more enjoyable since I can't see them every day like I use to.
College is a wild ride, full of ups and downs, but the lessons you learn from it are all worth it.
