As a child and a young teen, I had a grandiose image of college. Sometimes, I pictured it like Yale on "Gilmore Girls" with brainiacs and a beautiful library. Other times, visions of parties and girlfriend camaraderie graced my mind like in "The House Bunny." Now, in my second semester of actually being in college I am still curious about how disillusioned I was about it all. Unless you're in a hotspot like UMass Amherst or Ohio State, parties are usually broken up by 10:30 p.m. and it gets very quiet without Greek Life. So, without all these commercial trademarks of college, I found very quickly that I was constantly alone. While some fell into a group of friends and twenty cans of Bud Light, I was wondering where I had gone wrong.

Didn't do a sport in high- school? Unless you're feeling daring to try something new, you won't have new teammates to bond with. College athletes become close to each other. Of course the NARPs and athletes mix, but I had no itch to kick any kind of ball or run for five miles. I was never a competitive athlete, aside from color guard for four years (please keep your chuckles out of this, it's a real thing). I only know of two universities that have it, neither of which interested me. I didn't know how much my life would change without it. People don't understand how difficult it is to make friends when they're not with you on a team several times a week. Friends aren't prescribed, and they're not available to buy in a value pack at Target. No one told me that being social is hard.

Have good grades in high school? You don't know as much as you think you might. You won't be the best or in the top anymore-- and that's okay. You aren't supposed to know material in your classes you've never taken before. High school is aimed towards memorization and test scores, but college is meant to make you think and to question. If you feel stupid for not understanding how Socrates is still relevant to today's society... don't. Professors-- the good ones-- are there to help you form an opinion and learn something about yourself. The first week of classes, I practically used Gorilla glue as chapstick to keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to be wrong. no one else is raising their hand, so why should I? No one told me that being wrong or unsure is okay.

Ever been offered a drink in an upper classmen apartment? For a lot of people, coming into college means chugging Svedka without having to ditch the empty bottle in a public trash can so your parents don't find it. For others, it's a scary time of pressure and experimentation. People seemed happy taking shots in high school and in the movies. It was all in good fun, right? Kids fall asleep under the stars and wake up best friends with minor headaches, excited to do it all over again. I didn't realize that fun would lead to a student having their stomach pumped on- site the first week of college. No one told me "just one more" could cause real damage.

So, without dragging it out any longer, I was duped. Yes, there are kids having a blast at college and universities who won't have a clue what I'm talking about. It's very different imagining living in a dorm and getting giddy about "the best years of your life" than when it arrives. I was told what toiletries and decorations to bring, how to make my bed, and the best dorm foods to always have on hand. Unfortunately, we aren't shown the cards life is holding for us. It continues to bluff us until we see them all, one by one. Everything I've come to discover about college has been a little awakening in itself. Despite the stress and surprise, I found that I hadn't gone wrong at all. I was just learning. Growing. It will take time to adjust and figure out how you fit into this new environment. Just because you can't fit into the elevator with one crowd doesn't mean you won't get to the same place.