Going into my freshman year of college, I had a lot of expectations. I thought I knew how classes were going to go, how people were going to act, how I was going to act, all based off of preconceived notions that others planted into my brain. Now, I knew that my experience was going to be different then my older friends, but I never expected to be so pleasantly surprised with how college actually has been so far. Here are a few ways college was different than what I expected.
I thought living in a dorm would drive me crazy. I am perfectly fine being by myself. I thought living in a dorm would force me to be social 100% of the time. Upon moving in, I realized that most people are the same way. My entire floor is made up of girls, and for the most part we are all friendly towards each other and very respectful.
I thought my roommate and I would butt heads more often. Everybody hears horror stories of clashing with your roommate, and that really worried me in the months leading up to my move to college. Luckily, we have managed to talk about things and have yet to have a huge fight. Plus, she goes to concerts with me and supplies me with books. What more could I ask for? As long you talk to your roommate beforehand and set boundaries, it should be smooth sailings.
I thought communication was key. No matter how many times my roommate and I tried to reach out to our suite mates, they refused to budge. They wanted nothing to do with us, even though we didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve learned that not everyone is easy to get along with here, and that is honestly okay.
I thought the cafeteria food would be a lot worse. Don’t get me wrong, it is still not that great, but its manageable. You have to try things in order to see what you like and dislike from the selection. Plus, as long as you ration out your Flex money, you won’t have to eat every meal for the next year in the cafeteria. Plus, I’ve learned that it is okay to eat alone.
My high school teachers said they cared more than my professors ever would. In the words of Dwight Shrute, false. Last semester, and even in the first week of my second semester, my teachers have made it clear that their office doors are always open. One of my teachers even gave my class his cellphone number, as long as we promised to never called him between 10 pm and 5 am. They want us to succeed, that’s why they picked the profession that they did.
I thought I would constantly get lost on campus. When I toured, UNT seemed huge. I honestly thought I would never memorized everything on campus. Once you get here, though, you realize where everything is really quickly. Yeah, sometimes I still have to pull up a map on my phone, but for the most part, it just takes a couple days to get used to it. My roommate and I explored campus one night before class started, and I highly suggest doing that if you have the opportunity.
I thought that I would be constantly stressed. Maybe I have been extremely lucky, but I survived my first semester with minimum stress. I spent all of high school in every extracurricular activity offered, took all AP/ Dual Credit classes, and held an internship at magazine. Needless to say, college was a breath of fresh air. I got to focus on my classes and my writing, and honestly it has been great. I’m not saying it was any easier, but when you get to make all your own choices, it doesn’t seem as hard.
Overall, not everyone’s experience is exactly the same. Some people might come in with the exact opposite expectations as I did. I fell in love with my major, and my school, and I think that helped me a lot. Don’t get me wrong, college can be tough. It takes hard work, and determination. But if you come in with the right attitude, it’ll make all the difference.