What I’ve Learned My First Month in College/Debunking College Myths

     I started a little over a month ago, and I have already learned more than I could have ever imagined. Here are some of the most common “myths” I heard prior to entering college, and why they are completely false! 

1. You Will Hate Your College Roommate

     Prior to starting my freshmen year, I heard many rumors and horror stories about freshman college roommates. While many of them are true, that is NOT always the case! I met my roommate through Instagram two weeks prior to choosing our room. I was worried that I was not going to connect with anyone and that I was going to be stuck with a random person that I didn’t have anything in common with. I’ve been beyond lucky to have a great roommate and amazing suitemates. We find ourselves hanging out a lot more than we could have ever expected! 

 

2. You Will Miss Home All the Time

     I came to college with the expectation that I would miss home every day, all day. That is not true. The first weeks were jammed packed with meeting new people, going new places, trying new things, and a lot of deep conversations. I found myself barely spending any time in my room or on my phone, which I loved. When I did settle down for the night, there were a few seconds until my head hit my pillow and I instantly fell asleep. 

     After the rush of the first few days feeling like summer camp, I found myself spending more time in my room and focusing on school related things. That is when it really hit. I remember I was facetiming my mom and stepdad and after I hung up with them, I felt a lump in my chest. It hit me that I was away from my family and that I would be for a while. I’m from Houston, which is about 3 hours away from Baylor, so weekend trips are more than possible, but at times it feels like I’m a world away. 

     Don’t worry, there are ways to remedy this! Personally, when I find myself missing home, I try to talk about it with my roommates or friends. I’ve been pretty lucky to surround myself with people who are open to listening to me, and who reassure me. If you find yourself getting stuck in a homewick bubble, leave your room for a little bit and explore your surroundings! If you keep in mind that these feelings won’t last forever, it makes it so much easier to get through them! 

 

3. College is an Easy Transition

     I knew coming in, that college was going to be different, but I did not account for all the ways it would be. For instance, I oversee when I eat and what I eat. This may seem like something small but for me, it is a huge change. I always ate what my parents cooked and when they ate. Now I have the freedom to eat whatever I choose, but that means that I am not necessarily eating everything that I need to.

     My portion control is off, and I find myself being hungry even though I’ve eaten a lot. College is also an adjustment when it comes to time management. I have struggled to manage my time. I find myself hanging out with my friends and “living in the moment,” rather than studying for my Intro to Mass Communcation test, (sorry Professor Tank). I’ve tried my best to work on creating a schedule. I’ll set aside time for completing my work, so then I’m more available to hang out with friends. I do still find myself abandoning my Christian Scriptures textbook for late night froyo runs, we all have our weaknessese, right?

 

4. College is Hard? 

     One of the first things I noticed when starting school is that everyone’s workload is different. While this can be implied, because of course not everyone has the same major, this was still a shock to me. 

     Take my suitemates for instance, we all have completely different majors and workloads. One of my suitemates is an Anthropology major and is always taking quizzes and tests while I (a Jouranlism major) have only had two tests in the 6 weeks since school has started. Many of my major grades in my Journalism classes are from writing news stories, which are expected of journalism majors. Although my workload isn’t the same, that doesn’t mean that my classes aren’t difficult. I thoroughly enjoy my classes, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t challenge me at times. 

 

5. Social Media is Representative of Life

     If you take anything away from this article, let it be this. Everything is not what it seems on social media! While I am sure you have heard this before, let me emphasize it! I am guilty of allowing myself to get caught up on social media and what my friends at other schools are doing. 

     The first couple of weeks, I didn’t really post on social media. I was just forming connections with people and I felt that it was a bit intrusive for me to pull out my phone and say “get in this snap pic so my friends at home can see that I’m having fun.” I would scroll through Instagram and Snapchat and see other people posting pictures with people on the first few days, and I often thought: When did they meet these people? Am I not living college right? etc. I had to realize that people form connections at different rates. While I might meet someone one time and connect with them instantly, that is not the case for everyone. I should not compare myself to others, and you should not either. 

 

     Remember that college is what you make it! Everyone’s experience will be different, and for that reason it is important to take things at your own pace. Don’t worry about what the next person is doing, but rather focus on yourself and on your own personal growth. 

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