You tossed your tassel to the left or right depending on whether you misunderstood tradition on graduation day. You walked off your high school campus and smiled because you are going to that magical place called college. You’ve been preparing for this moment since the day you could barely say L, M, N, O, P as the individual letters they are. Finally there it is, staring you in the face saying, “Gimme what you got,” and you realize that everything you thought college was...may actually be one big fallacy. Out of the many lies you tend to believe in this world, here are seven misconceptions of college.
Expectation 1: You will know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life.
Reality: If you are really that sure of yourself, then good for you honey, you get an imaginary chocolate chip cookie. If not, well… That is OK too. You are allowed to change your major as much as you change the tire on a car. I know people who did years of pre-med only to find out that they wanted to go into law. Don’t be pressured into thinking that you must know what you will do for the rest of your life. There are days that you don’t even know what you want to eat for breakfast. It is OK, but one tip to remember is that if you don’t feel interested in it or you hate it, it is DEFINITELY not for you.
Expectation 2: You will "partay all day err day."
Reality: Parties are college’s forbidden fruit. It looks nice and tempting, but could screw you up if you touch it. You partay all day err day, you will FAIL all day err day unless you pay someone to do your work for you (I don’t recommend it). One of the biggest decisions I faced in college was choosing between going to a party or studying for my midterms. Then again, I only go to parties for the free food, only to go back and study while eating the pizza I never bought. Tip: Come for the food, and leave quickly because you have more crucial things to deal with.
Expectation 3: You have a lot of time to do "absolutely nothing."
Reality: Trust me, during syllabus week, you are going to look at that five-hour gap between classes and think,”Damn! I actually have enough time to do nothing.” Wrong! You may actually need that time when that workload hits you up like a cheesy pickup line. “Hey baby, you got some time for me.” Prepare yourself, or be prepared to get your butt whooped by your own paper. Hi-yah!
Expectation 4: You will smile 24/7 because you are in college.
Reality: If you managed to be happy in college, then good for you; you are either taking three
classes or less, or they named a building on campus after you. Other than that, most of us are not a group of happy campers. If we look like we are about to pass out, just give us a sleeping pill and a pillow because we need it. Many of us are walkers; we are just better at looking human.
Expectation 5: You will find your soul mate.
Reality: Oh, the cliche movies where the girl is under a tree writing a song and someone arrives and they meet the love of their life, and don’t forget, they magically have the same classes! Where I go to school, we don’t even have trees. I am not saying that you will not find your soul mate, if you do then congrats! If you don’t it is OK, but the only thing you should expect is…the unexpected.
Expectation 6: You will live in a dorm.
Reality: If you can afford it or you live far away, kudos to you, but it is rare that you see students as commuters in movies, sorry but not sorry. If you commute, especially if you live in New York City, your route to college may not be filled with singing birds. Instead, you are surrounded by sweaty and tired people who hate NYC transportation as much as you do.
Expectation 7: Community college sucks...a lot!
Reality: If you are under the age of 25, I assume that you remember these lyrics, “Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it”...to community college. I have spoken to many people who transferred to my college from community colleges and they said that community college has actually prepared them and helped them realize which field they want to work in. Also, think of community college as the first two years of a four-year college. The only difference is that you will earn your associate’s before your bachelor’s as opposed to going straight to a bachelor’s. What is more important is that you work your ass off and grab opportunities as they arrive. Go community college students!
The expectations that actually mirror reality: The all-nighter look and on rare occasions...the hangovers. Warning: both may look similar, so it may be best to leave the victim alone. Look, just try to survive, OK!
