There are a lot of expectations that students have when attending a big state school, such as huge sports games, crazy school spirit, and a completely different living environment. Despite many of the stereotypical expectations I had for my college experience, I was surprised to find that the reality of college was far different from what I imagined. Here's a few things you might not expect about the realities of college:
Frat Parties
Expectation: My idea of fraternities and sororities was solely based on what I’d seen in like Legally Blonde or Katy Perry's "TGIF" music video. Their parties would be held in huge mansions on “Frat Row” and you could easily walk from house to house as you pleased.
Reality: Frat parties are gross. Way too many people are crammed into a hot, smelly, unfinished basement of an off-campus house. You find it impossible to breathe, as the temperature difference from inside compared to outside is almost inhumane. Don’t get me wrong, they can be fun, but once you’ve sweat straight through your clothing, it’s time to go.
Football Games
Expectation: Since Maryland is a big state school, I assumed every football game would be packed with enthusiastic, screaming fans decked out in red, white, black and yellow. I thought it would be impossible to get a good seat close to the field and every fan would stay until the end of the game.
Reality: Although football games are still exciting and Maryland definitely has great spirit, they are very different from what I imagined. At the first game of the season, the stadium was barely full and most people left at halftime. This is partly due to the fact that we don’t have a very good football team, however, it was not the big football experience I was hoping for.
Dorms
Expectations: I remember visiting my dorm for the first time on admitted students day and cringing at the thought of living there for an entire school year. Not to mention the building itself low key looks like a jail. Not only were the rooms tiny, but I would have to endure the struggle of communal bathrooms.
Reality: Dorm life really is not that bad at all. Living so close to an entire floor of people makes it really easy to make friends. Even though the rooms are small, you learn how to manage your space and it helps you stay motivated to keep things tidy. And communal bathrooms are not the end of the world. They may not be ideal, but you get accustomed to showering with shower shoes and bringing all your toiletries with you in a shower caddy.
Dining Hall
Expectation: After orientation, I dreaded the dining hall. Yes, I may be picky about food, but I was not prepared to eat the same selection of mediocre food every day for an entire year.
Reality: Actually, nothing has changed for this one. I will say the food is not terrible and there are many ways to get creative with it, but it definitely gets extremely repetitive.
Workload
Expectations: Everyone told me college is hard and I would be spending most of my time doing homework and studying.
Reality: Yes, college is very hard and it takes a lot of hard work to do well. However, you have a lot of free time between classes. It is very easy to keep college work at bay as long as you manage that free time.
