As the second semester of my freshman year comes to an end, I’m realizing that all the stress and worries I had when I first came to school were completely unnecessary! This year I have made some great friends, gotten involved in great clubs, made tons of memories, and learned my fair share of lessons. The biggest lesson? Not everything you hear about college is true. Here are four common myths and their reality:
The Freshman 15
Technically, our bodies are still growing and changing, so gaining a little weight is normal. At first, I definitely took part in my fair share of late night Domino’s and McDonalds runs- food I never used to eat when I was home. However, after a few weekends of eating junk at 1 a.m., I realized that wasn’t the best choice. Another myth: the gym isn’t as intimidating as you think, and it is definitely worth going, even if you aren’t athletic.
You and your randomly assigned roommate will instantly click because “the random survey has such a high success rate.”
Along with that, you probably won’t meet your best friends the first week of school either. College is a new experience for everyone and you won’t find your place instantly. The hard part about this process is that everyone is rushing to find someone, so they’re not on their own and no one takes the time to really get to know each other. You click out of fear of being in a new environment, and later realize the girl you connected with is not who you thought she was. It’s okay to make this mistake- it’s just a part of the learning process!
You’re going to take cool classes right off the bat.
This unfortunately is not the case, especially freshman year. Many schools have a core curriculum, so yes you need to take math even though you’re an English major. Oh, and philosophy and a visual arts class too. Although it might seem annoying and boring (I’ve caught myself napping during philosophy!) it helps make you a well-rounded person.
You need to go out every weekend to have fun.
The best memories I’ve made have consisted of staying up late in a friend’s dorm just talking or going out to eat. Partying is fun at first, but just like the late night Domino’s and McDonald’s, it’s not something you need to do every weekend.