Two years have passed since I first pulled up to McGraw-Long Hall in my dad’s white sedan, starry-eyed at the promise of college life. At seventeen, I was sure that my experience at JMU would consist of easily making the dean's list, breezing through the transition to living on my own, and having boys begging me to go out to dinner with them. As many of you have probably realized by now, this isn’t typical, or even vaguely realistic. Expectations rarely live up to reality, and I’ve had a lot of surprises as I made the journey from oblivious freshman to slightly less oblivious upperclassman.

1. Collegiate academics

Expectation: I took AP classes, so I’m prepared for college. I can just study for 20 minutes before this test and still ace it because that’s what I did in high school. Oh, the professor doesn’t check the homework for completion? I’m definitely not doing it. Why would I make extra work for myself?

Reality: My 2.3 GPA from freshman year pretty much means I need to ace every class until graduation to make up for it.

2. The maturity of co-ed boys

Expectation: I’ll probably have a boyfriend in about three months. With all of the new guys I’m meeting, chances are that one of them will want to date me!

Reality: Most boys are too immature to commit to one girl, and after wading through a sea of thirsty 2 AM texts, I finally realized that college operates strictly by the rules of “hookup culture”. Back when I still cared, I was constantly reminded of this fact every time I went to a party and drunken boys would sloppily try to get me to come back to their apartment (gross) or dorm room (even grosser) after 20 seconds of dancing.

3. How far $100 goes

Expectation: I’ll have plenty of spending money from my part-time summer job. Everyone seems to be able to shop online and go out to dinner all the time! Besides, my parents are paying for my tuition, meal plan, and housing, so I don’t really need much money.

Reality: Why is gas so much? Why are utilities so much? Why does my bank account have $25 in it? Didn’t I just get paid a few days ago?

4. The rate at which one becomes an adult

Expectation: I pretty much took care of myself all of high school, so I’ll be fine in college. I know how to do my own laundry, what else is there to know?

Reality: I’ve been wearing the same leggings for three days because they’re black and no one knows if they’re the same pair. Good thing they hide the grease stain I got on them attempting to clean the kitchen. My mom always did that for our house, so I had NO IDEA how fast it gets disgusting. Also, how do you make chicken again? My mom did that for me too.

5. The experience of being sick

Expectation: Being sick was great in high school because I got to miss an entire day of classes while watching TV in bed. I’m sure it’ll be similar here.

Reality: I’m too weak to leave my bed, and since my mom isn’t here to provide room service, I haven’t eaten in two days. I think I missed the most important lecture of the semester yesterday, so I better drag my aching body out of bed today if I don’t want to flunk out. It also happens to be 20 degrees outside, so here’s to another four weeks of this cold because I don’t have enough time to take shelter and let myself heal.

6. Plans for life after graduation

Expectation: I’m kind of over school already, so after I get my degree I’m going straight into the workforce. I’m sure someone will hire me because I’ve been told that I’m smart my entire life.

Reality: I’m fairly average now that I’m in an institution filled with people who also took tons of AP classes all of high school. I have no idea what skills my program has given me, and do not feel at all ready to function in the real world. Everyone seems to be going to grad school because apparently, a master’s degree is the new bachelor’s degree these days.

7. How fun college parties are

Expectation: Movies always show college kids having the time of their life raging; I can’t wait to experience it myself! After all, I’m definitely not a lightweight.

Reality: I’ve ruined about four pairs of shoes wading through the sludge on the floor of frat house basements, and puked in someone’s bushes too many times to count. All of these parties tend to be slightly different variations of the same experience, and at this point, I have to be really drunk to actually have any fun. This usually results in a killer hangover the next day, which have gradually intensified since freshman year. I also can’t stand going out in the cold, because social custom dictates that I wear skimpy clothes, which don’t mix well with 25-degree nights.

8. The town surrounding my school

Expectation: I had lunch with my dad downtown when I visited, and it was so cute! I think living here will be a lot of fun. Besides, everything I need is on campus anyways.

Reality: Downtown can be fun, but it’s very small and can get expensive. The town doesn’t really have anything else going for it, and because of this, the only thing anyone does on the weekends here is drink. Spending entire weekends drunk for four years sounded fun at first, but it gets old eventually. Due to this, I’ve primarily resorted to Netflix for entertainment. At this point, I’ve spent so many Saturdays binge watching Family Guy that I think I’ve lost half of my IQ points.

Call me a pessimist, but after attending university for three years, I don’t believe that college is the “best four years of your life.” College can be a difficult stepping-stone, and it’s often awkward to struggle with adult responsibilities for the first time. This can leave one in various awkward situations, as many of us have not yet mastered the tasks that come with growing up. College culture can also become monotonous, and some eventually come to feel as if they’ve outgrown it (including myself). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t plan on swearing off parties altogether, but you certainly won’t catch me living in the frat house from Thursday through Saturday night. Overall, I think the best years are still coming, and I’m excited to become a financially independent adult with a satisfying career.