Expectation: Pralle
It’s move-in day. All summer you have been making Pinterest boards for the best dorm room ever as you picture what the residence halls looked like on your student tour. You remember that you can control your AC in the room and there are walk-in closets and nice common rooms for studying and hanging out.
Reality: NoMo
Plot twist, you’re placed in North Morlan, the dorm that no one ever told you even existed. It was the part of campus you assumed was an abandoned apartment building or a low security prison. Well guess what, you’re living there now. Don’t worry though, you will learn to love it. The open door policy is a real bonus and you’re the only dorm on campus that has bunnies, which is fantastic.
Expectation: Randall is bae
The first week of eating at the dining hall, you are in awe of how many options there are each day. Randall creates a plethora of enticing meals and you are astounded. You cannot wait to see what each station has prepared for the day or what sandwich combo you can create. The possibilities are endless. You will be eating gourmet food for the entire year. You are no longer dining like some peasant. This. Is. Living.
Reality: Repeats on repeats
It’s week seven of freshman year. You have eaten the same damn salad for about two weeks now. The sushi has gotten old. You eat pizza maybe every other day because you cannot find anything to ingest. The chocolate chip cookies have become redundant, and your low income diet now consists of carbs, the cereal of your choice, and shame.
Expectation: Southern California weather: much nice, very temperate
Ugh, SoCal weather is awesome. You can’t wait for endless trips to the beach, pool parties galore, and summer weather 24/7, 365 days a year. You’re ready for a year of tanning, lounging, and enjoying all the benefits Orange County has to offer.
Reality: *Roasting in the fiery pits of hell*
Campus is actually a melting pot where students go to suffer daily. The walk across the AF parking lot from the dorms has become a test of your own mental, physical, and emotional strength. The “nice” weather is actually 104 degrees and 20 mile per hour winds. Imagine being a turkey roasting for a Thanksgiving dinner, all while having 33 hair dryers blowing hot air onto your face. That is your daily commute.
Expectation: Thirsty Thursday
You’ve read all the blogs. You’ve seen all the movies. Margarita Mondays, Boozeday Tuesdays, Wine Wednesdays, finally it’s Thirsty Thursday. You’re all ready to go out and party like the rockstar you know you are. Let’s rage, am I right?
Reality: The District Thursday
Go home freshman, Thursday is not the day for you. If you aren’t 21, don’t even try to leave your room. The District has taken claim over Thursdays for all of Chapman and if you can’t get in, spare yourselves the disappointment, and accept the crushing reality that you will never go out on a Thursday during your time here until you can get into the D. Friday is so close, yet so far.
Expectation: Attendance is encouraged, not required
You can’t wait for college because for once, you will have the opportunity to skip classes whenever you want. You can’t wait for the GEs where teachers don’t take attendance and the lectures where the instructor won’t care if you miss a week of classes. You will utilize all this free time to sleep, watch some TV, or if you’re really feeling productive, do some laundry.
Reality: It is required, end of story
You will skip class maybe twice a semester. Chapman does not do large classes where you can easily fall into the back row and hit up Facebook. You’re front and center for every class. When you do skip class, you will immediately feel a sensation of guilt and begin to stress that you are missing something super important in class that day. Chapman: producing rule followers since 1861.
Expectation: Frat boys
Reality: Frat boys
To be continued!