Yes, there will be fun parties, tons of freedom, and plenty of all-nighters. But, going to college for the first time is a major change. The student experience can be wonderful and college campuses are awesome places. But, there is certainly room for improvement. Here’s a quick look at a few expectations, versus the realities that you will encounter when you first arrive on campus.
Many students have high expectations for college. They often think it is going to be the answer to all their problems. To make matters worse, college does actually reinforce this notion: your first few weeks, including orientation and freshman week, will feel like a breeze. But, you will inevitably find yourself struggling to keep up and pretty soon it will be time for midterms. College is a work hard, play hard environment. You need to always be on your feet, seeking out ways to improve your scores, and your weekends. Don’t get sucked into late-nights and skipping classes.
Homework is not just busywork anymore. In college, your assignments are generally due once per week, so you have to take a more active role in managing your time. The tests will get harder, and staying on top of your assignments becomes imperative. If you ignore this pearl of wisdom, you will soon find yourself getting a C on your first paper — or worse — failing an exam. In all fairness, lectures are usually a waste of your time, but you need to be there to get your homework assignments and the better answers. Homework is how you learn in college: it’s more important than just showing up to lectures.
Students are notorious for getting next to no sleep in college. Constant studying and staying out late with friends makes it difficult to establish a regular sleep cycle. Lost sleep is hard to make up — sleeping through the weekend won’t cancel out the string of all-nighters you pulled during midterms week. You will inevitably be forced into a week or two of no-sleep every semester, but you can work hard to avoid it. Invest the early weeks of your semester so that you can get ahead when it becomes crunch time. No sleep isn’t worth it.
As a society, we tend to romanticize the notion of college. But, it’s important to embark on this journey with a level head: be smart about how you take-on college. It can be the best years of your life, but there are forces trying to make it the worst. Work hard, and play hard, kids 🤘
