Your first week of college, you probably did the same thing that most freshmen do secretly but don't tell you about - you sat down on your new twin XL bed, got comfy in your new sheets, opened your laptop and googled the question we all somehow think will solve all of our problems for the next four years of our education: What are things nobody will tell you about college?
If you had the same amount of success I did when Google became my database of college advice in August, you’ll learn from every article that the rooms are small, you’ll stay up late and college will be the best four years of your life, so you should savor every moment! But, I didn’t really see anything that was about real, every-day life in college that actually mattered.
As I finish up my first year in college, I’ve been asked by high school seniors the things they absolutely need to know before they head off to school. But, instead, I can redirect you to any simple article on any blog for that. Here’s a list of some harsh realities that I’ve had to face since I’ve come to study at college.
1. Any roommate you have will have their good days and bad days. (Probably more bad days than good.)
Well, duh, you may say, but this is a broad statement for what I need to explain. Unless you’re one of the privileged few who gets to go to college and room with your high school BFF, you mostly likely won’t be very close to your roommates. The thing is, these people are also people with the same feelings of insomnia, sadness, sexual desire, and stress that you also have. It’s easy to say that your roommates suck because they stay in the room all the time, they sexile you, they stay up way too late (or fall asleep way too early), or because they play music while you’re studying. Obviously, communication is key to not hating each other, but so is the understanding that your roommates are unpredictable and you just have to deal with that sometimes. Being selfish is the cause of so many roommate disagreements.
Which leads me to my next point…
2. Don’t be fooled by a person’s personality the first couple of weeks of your first year.
Coming to school your first two weeks is mind boggling because you see how rad everyone is. The thing is, everyone is making new friends at this time. As the year progresses, people get the right to be more judgmental of who they hang out with, seeing as how they’re not trying to make first impressions anymore. This is when you see the real side of everyone. People are less willing to let you sit at their table if you didn’t plan ahead, people don’t share their alcohol anymore (but you’re a freshman, you shouldn’t be drinking anyway!), people don’t let you borrow a pencil, people don’t smile when they see you walking to class. Because you get to see people outside of class hours, you get to see their true nature; and rarely is it one that you want to be best friends with.
3. People don’t put their relationship statuses on Facebook.
This was a hard one for me to grasp. That senior who you’re in love with and are totally Facebook stalking at 3:16 AM? He has a girlfriend who he’s been dating for two years now, but his relationship status still says “single”. Maybe it’s because social media defines my life, but I think it’s sketchy that people don’t put their relationship status on Facebook. Maybe upperclassmen just think it’s tacky. Maybe it’s because they don’t play by the system.
4. People get engaged… and get married.
You just got pizza delivered because you didn’t want to walk to the caf, and then you started watching more of The Office on Netflix this weekend, didn’t you? Well, your classmates are planning their weddings! The girl who sits next to you in your linguistics class has a fiance. College is the time where you could actually meet the love of your life. It’s different here than the couple from back home who have been engaged since the beginning of junior year in high school (but have you heard from them lately?) - these weddings actually happen. You’re in your twenties! Either you’re completely excited by this fact, or it terrifies you. There is no in between.
5. A majority of people don’t wear sweatpants and slippers to class.
You’ve read everywhere that students usually try “too hard” in high school and then in college they wear their pajamas from the night before to class. The truth is, upperclassmen actually do put outfits together, and they do put the time in to brush their teeth in the morning. Unless you’re the kind of person who is known for wearing your flannel American Flag pajama pants to your 9:15 AM music theory class, you’re going to be noticed if you wear your pajamas on the day that you hit snooze a few too many times. What kind of crazy world is this?
6. Most people are early to class.
Ew, why? Apparently, professors sometimes forget that students have to come from the other side of the campus to get to their classes, and they start 5 minutes early... just for fun. This is usually when attendance is taken and all assignments are collected, so if you get to class on the dot, you might as well be invisible. It’s a good idea to be punctual and all; I hear it develops good work ethic if you miss out on sleep every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Why should I have to be in my classroom at 7:50AM? No thank you.
7. Your perspectives will be challenged outside of class.
Because we’re all adults here (“adults”), it’s possible to have a political debate over dinner. You can analyze the broader themes of movies while getting a cup of coffee. You can learn from people who lived on the other side of the world what life is really like in a country, rather than reading about it in textbooks. You’ll think thoughts that are absolutely outside the box and sometimes crazy - my first-semester freshman English class asked us, “What does it mean to be human?”.
Sometimes you don’t have an answer to the broad metaphorical questions. What are we, philosophy majors? But, your critical thinking and decision making will grow exponentially. You may hate the deeper thinking; we all do most of the time. But, being able to have a discussion with disagreements and analysis will make you change how you think about the world.
So, never take those opportunities for granted, because not only are they good for your classwork, but they are the beginnings of how you will be able to lead the rest of your life, whether it be tomorrow, next year, or after you graduate.
