As a new school year begins, expectations run high amongst students, especially freshmen. Students begin to envision a new semester with nothing but perfect days ahead. Does college really live up to these expectations? Or are the standards too high? Social media, movies, TV shows, and all those people telling you it’ll be the best four years of your life can create very unrealistic ideas when imagining what your college experience will be like.
Yes, you will have tons of freedom and no parents present to tell you what you can and cannot do; yes, there will plenty of fun parties to go to and yes they are themed. Your time on campus will definitely be enjoyable and life changing, but you should always have a realistic approach to what it will actually be like. Here are some of the expectations about college versus the reality of what it is really like:
Expectation: Your dorm will look like it came from PINK or Pottery Barn Teen.
Reality: You will see a bed with risers to make room for the boxes of Ramen Noodles under there, with bulky, mismatched, awfully colored furniture. And, maybe a few Beyoncé posters.
Expectation: The dining hall has endless options so it’ll be so easy for me to eat healthy. What freshman 15?
Reality: When is the DH going to change chicken finger Wednesday to chicken finger Monday-Friday?
Expectation: You and your roommate will be total besties.
Reality: You’ll eat together in the dining hall every day for the first week and then find out they probably descended from the gates of Hell, keeping you up every night.
Expectation: You’ll have your own pool of sophisticated, mature college boys to choose from.
Reality: Fratty bros texting you to “Netflix and Chill?”
Expectation: Being so overwhelmed with parties that you can’t choose which one to go to. #LIT
Reality: Pre-gaming in a hot, crowded dorm room, waiting too long for an address, and showing up to the party as they are kicking people out.
Expectation: Sleeping in until noon every day. YAAASSSS.
Reality: Stumbling out of bed at 8:15 a.m. to make it to your 8:30 a.m. lecture, which you will struggle to stay awake in. The struggle is so real.
Expectation: Not having school from 7:00-3:00 p.m. means plenty of time for Netflix and my bed.
Reality: You’re living off cereal while you try to cram a semester’s worth of work into two days.
Expectation: College professors are much more laid back. No homework = endless free time.
Reality: Only two weeks into the semester and you’re pulling an all nighter at the library to get through 300 pages of reading before your class in the morning.
Expectation: Your own pool of drama free, laid back, hot college women to date.
Reality: Half-naked girls dressed in costumes, whining about the lack of Instagram love that night.
Now that you know what to expect from college, you won’t have as many let downs. Whether this is your first semester in college or your fifth, you should always keep your mind open to experiencing new things and meeting new people.
IMAGE TAKEN from funnyjunk.com
