College Myths Busted! (Or confirmed)

   College–the word conjures up visions of insane frat parties, desperate all-nighters, and gross communal bathrooms, but what is college really like outside of these few silver screen-worthy images? This is the question all high school grads ask themselves in the summer before freshman year. Just this past summer, I asked myself that very question. Now, as a Northeastern freshman over a month into my college career, I know first-hand what’s true and what is not. So, pre-collegiettes, I’ve confirmed or busted these classic college myths to help give you some peace of mind:

   Myth Number One: If you don’t watch what you eat, you’re doomed to the Freshman Fifteen.
  
    Status: Barely busted.
More and more researchers are finding that most freshmen gain seven pounds or less instead of thefeared fifteen in their first year of college. However, gaining unwanted pounds is still an issue, and it’s easy to understand how it happens after you’ve experienced waiting in line for a sandwich or burger in IV for fifteen minutes. It’s much easier to carb-load every meal with the easy-to-access pasta and slices of pizza rather than wait in line. It’s also a breeze to stop by the fro-yo machine and dessert counter on your way out of the dining halls… and maybe make a hot fudge & brownie sundae by pooling your resources. And don’t forget that some of your weekend activities might be harboring hidden calories too. To fight unnecessary weight gain, beware of getting into the routine of having only carbs for every meal, limit yourself so dessert actually feels like a treat, and give yourself extra time to eat when it’s peak dinner hour. Take the stairs in Ruggles instead of the escalator and take advantage of working out at Marino. Northeastern’s campus isn’t as big as some other schools’ campuses, so just walking to classes probably won’t offset the quick and tasty (but decidedly unhealthy) eating you might get used to the first time you’re away from home-cooked meals.

    Myth Number Two: You’ll get sick of dining hall food.
    Status: Reluctantly confirmed.
   I’ve never been a picky eater, and so far I’ve only had one night where nothing in the dining hall was appealing to me. That said, I’m pretty sure by second semester the falafel I eat every day is going to feel worn out. “I’m actually not that sick of it. It just depends on the variety [of choices],” freshman chemistry major Elena Rofffel said.  Luckily, there is a lot of variety around campus for food that we should survive just fine. Go to Stetson West for stir fry, get sushi at IV, try the Hungry Hungry Husky food truck for its sheer cuteness factor, and eat at Rebecca’s as often as possible. Also, don’t forget about the brand-new dining options in Curry, Au Bon Pan & Boloco in Marino, and don’t rule out eating off campus, too (Panera, anyone?). While the dining hall food here isn’t terrible, the quality is still not that of your mom’s cooking, so having multiple eateries is essential: once you get bored, you’ll probably spend too much time staring at your “pizza” and realize it doesn’t really have cheese. Or sauce.

    Myth Number Three: You can only accomplish two of the following goals: getting enough sleep, getting good grades, and having a social life.
   Status: Confirmed.
  
While this is the myth I most wish I could say was busted, it’s just not possible for freshmen to have it all–but maybe in a few years we’ll have our stuff together? The workload transition from high school to college is not a small one, and no one really wants to fail a class freshman year, so you will spend a lot of time doing homework (and just trying to figure out what your assignment is – check your syllabus daily). College dorms are also plain loud – walls are thin, and people socialize til’ all hours of the night on weeknights in common rooms and hallways – so sleep can be hard to come by, even if you’ve finished your homework. “I feel like nobody sleeps, and if they do it’s at random hours of the day,” freshman political science major Khloe Lewis said. Finally, making friends takes a lot of time and flexibility, things that won’t alway mesh with your homework or sleep schedule. However, making friends is one of the most important goals a freshman should work towards, at least in his/her first semester (you know you’re going to want friends to quiz you before exams so your flash cards actually get used). To work around this challinging side of college, try to mash some of the goals together, maybe by going to the library with friends. Realize that you can’t do everything and stay balanced, but don’t be afraid to try new things.

    Myth Number Four: All Resident Assistants take their jobs seriously.
    Status: Busted

   I was surprised by the lack of RA presence my first few weeks at school. While some RAs will send out emails about fun outings for your dorm, and almost all RAs are really nice, they might not be the “enforcer” you expected. People will hang out in your common room past midnight on a Wednesday with nary a reprimand in sight when you have a paper due the next day. When that happens, head off to Snell and don’t complain, because your RAs will probably turn a blind eye to a few things that you will be grateful for. That said, resident assistants are all different, and some of them will be vastly different from others… they may even write you up for being in the room when someone else drew a piece of genitalia on your common room’s whiteboard (it’s happened before!). As long as you’re respectful and follow the rules, you can avoid trouble and make their jobs easier (even if they don’t always do what they’re supposed to).

   Myth Number Five: Weekends are non-stop parties.
  
   Status: Busted

    While there are always parties to go when the weekend rolls around, not everyone goes out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. In addition to that fact, when people do go out, not everyone will drink. I have a few theories behind this: maybe it’s because Huskies are more professional than other students (with co-ops and such to constantly think about), or maybe it’s just because we don’t have a football team. “People forget that homework-a lot of homework-comes with college. Sometimes there is time to go out, but sometimes there isn’t. You just have to learn how to manage time,” freshman Aline Beylerian said. Whatever the reason, Northeastern just isn’t a stereotypical crazy party school. However, if you do want to party every weekend, you definitely can – from MIT to Harvard to Wentworth to BU, there are a plethora of parties around. Just don’t expect campus to feel like the alcohol-soaked atmosphere of a Big 10 school.