We have all dreamed of our perfect first year at college. You make a ton of friends, you go out all of the time, you get good grades, and you have the best few years of your life. However, just like how High School Musical is nothing like actual high school itself, many ideal images of "college life" may not be what they seem. Unfortunately, this can lead to many people; myself included, having too many expectations of our freshman year, and that can lead to more disappointment than excitement. Below are a few things to look out for and what kind of expectations your should have instead!
1. Don't Expect to Make a Ton of Friends Right Away
Or at least not a ton of real, genuine friends right away. Over your college years, so are going to come across so many new people from all around the world. In your first year, you will meet people such as your roommate (if your rooming with someone you don't know), floor mates, classmates, people in clubs you join, etc. While you should definitely take advantage of meeting these people and getting to know them, don't expect to become besties with everyone right away. Real friendships take time to develop, so you should not try to rush any type of relationship your start with someone. Take it slow and get to know the person, and if destiny calls for it, you will develop a bond with this person. This tip also goes for people who may be more introverted, since it may be more intimidating to make friends right away. Just remember that good friends take time to come around, but with patience they will show up.
2. Don't Expect That You'll Get Along With Your Roommate(s) 24/7
Most peoples perfect vision of a roommate is someone who is their best friend, does everything with, and gets along with them all the time. While the first two descriptions can defiantly happen, the third one may not always happen as often as we would like it to. Now this tip has a good amount of focus for people who are rooming with their long time best friend or someone they're really close with. I'm not saying rooming with that person is a mistake, there are many who room with their BFF's and make it work. Just know that hanging out with someone constantly and living with someone are two completely different things, and sometimes your best friends living style may not be what you expected; or even wanted. But no matter who you room with, whether you know them or not, your roommate may do things that may get on your nerves, or they may not be as friendly as you thought. If you do end up having roommate conflicts, be sure to talk them out with your roomie instead of it getting under your skin, since that's how most big roommate arguments happen.
3. Don't Expect That You'll Get Good Grades all the Time
No one single college student is perfect, and that includes you. You may have gotten all A's in your classes in high school, and that's absolutely wonderful. But that was high school, you are in college now, and in college the workload and difficulty of the courses increases quite a bit. It is definitely not impossible to get all 4.0's, but to do that you will have to put in a lot of time and dedication (not like you shouldn't already be doing that anyway). But just know that even if you spend a lot of time on an essay or study very hard for an exam, you still may not always get the best score that you want, and that is okay. In fact, you may not always get the best grade in a class, even if you put a ton of effort into it. This is not to say that you should not try to get good grades, please do try. But just know that the occasional bad grade is not going to ruin the rest of your life for you. Again, no one is perfect and that is okay.
4. Don't Expect That Cutting Corners/Procrastinating Will Work in College
Now, this is very important if you want to get the best possible grades and keep your sanity. That stunt you pulled your senior year of high school where you waited to study for that test until the night before and managed to get a 100% on it? Yeah we've all been there, and that may have worked well for you in high school. I will tell you something right now though, do NOT do this in college, you will most likely NOT get 100% or even a good grade on that test if you do so. Like I said before, the work load is heavier and that content is tougher and more demanding of your time. If you cram for an exam, you WILL feel stressed out and you will be tired, so please do not do that. Other things to avoid in college? Trying to write an essay last minute (you will not be able to handle it), even attempting to cheat (this can get you expelled if caught), pulling all-nighters (not worth how tired you will be) and in general just any sort of procrastination.
5. Don't Expect to Stick With the Major/Career Path You Enter College With
I know, in high school they really instilled in your mind that you should really have a major or career in mind when you enter college, but that's a problem we can discuss a different time. Now, there is a good chance that as a freshman in college, you may already have a major in mind or a career you want to follow, and that is absolutely great (and if you don't that's okay too)! But just keep in mind that there is a possibility down that road that the major you start college with may not be the one you get a degree in. As we attend college, interests do change, and that is a good thing. Sometimes we find a bigger passion for something else that we may have never even considered before. Or you may have realized that you are not really happy with the major you chose based on the classes you may be taking associated with it. It is completely okay to decide to change your major your freshman year (and even your sophomore year) if it means you're doing something you love.
6. Don't Expect to Feel Happy/Enjoy Life all the Time
Lot's of people say that college is supposed to be the "best four years of your life", and you should defiantly try your hardest to enjoy these years while you can. However, college is in no way shape or form easy, especially if you are moving away from home. There will be times where you will feel very stressed out, and that your workload will never end. There will be times where you feel so homesick that you may not even want to be up at school. You may miss your old friends, your family, and your old way of life. You may deal with things like anxiety or depression (these things are not uncommon in college students) or other types of mental illnesses or stress. Just know that it is okay to not be happy 24/7, its okay to cry and to feel anything that you are feeling. The most important thing is to just make sure you are giving yourself what you need to help yourself, whether its a break, a good cry, a phone call home, or professional help (and yes, it is always okay to seek help if needed).
7. Don't Expect Yourself to Change Right Away
Many people hope that maybe when they enter college and potentially "start fresh", they will immediately change and become a whole new person. This was a big personal struggle for me when I started school, since I was hoping I would become more extroverted. Unfortunately, for things to change for the better, you have to give it time and some energy to work towards what you want. Maybe you want to become more social, or maybe you want to finally stop procrastinating and become more organized. Things like these most certainly do not happen overnight, but if we expect that they do, we'll end up just feeling disappointing and defeated. If you want to change something about yourself for your own good, that's absolutely amazing and you should go for it! Just remember that good things like this come from those who take the time and put the effort into making this change, and don't just expect it to happen in a day.
No one want's to feel like they did not have the most amazing freshman year, but surprisingly high expectations can leave you feeling that way. Hopefully with some of these tips, you may lower some of the expectations of freshman year (and just college in general) and be able to enter the start of the school year with an open mind and excitement for what's to come in the future!
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- College Expectations Vs. Reality ›
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